23/04/2010

TONY ALBERT

Biography 

Tony Albert is a Brisbane-based artist born in North Queensland. His family comes from Cardwell, situated in the rainforest area of the far north. In 2004 Albert completed a degree in Visual Arts majoring in Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art. 

Albert was awarded the 2007 Sunshine Coast Art Prize in Queensland. His work is recognised by Institutional collections in Australia, including the National Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Monash Gallery of Art, University of Queensland Art Museum, Caloundra Regional Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Griffith Artworks and Queensland Art Gallery. 

Albert’s work reflects political, historical, environmental and cultural issues relevant to Indigenous-Australian people in today’s society. Provoked by the stereotypical representations of Indigenous-Australians in mainstream culture, Albert’s paradoxical wordplay examines cultural alienation and displacement. 

Albert is a member of the proppaNOW Aboriginal artists collective, a dedicated group of individuals whose urban expression questions the position that is ascribed to Aboriginal people and culture within Australia. Members are Vernon Ahkee, Tony Albert, Bianca Beetson, Richard Bell, Andrea Fisher, Gordon Hookey, Jennifer Herd and Laurie Neilson.

He is represented by Jan Manton Art, Brisbane; Gallerysmith, Melbourne

Language group: Girramay
Born: Townsville QLD Australia, 1981

EDUCATION

2000-04 Bachelor of Visual Arts – Contemporary Indigenous Australian Art
Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD

2002-03 Certificate II Arts Administration Central Queensland Institute of TAFE

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2009 ASH on me, Jan Manton Art, Brisbane
2008 hopeless romantic, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
Must Have Been Love, Canberra Contemporary Art Space
2007 i’m bring’n sexy BLAK, Jan Manton Art, South Brisbane
2004 Go Away, The Farm 358 George St, Brisbane

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010

Putsch, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide  Festival

2009

me-take, Perth Centre for Photography (PCP), Perth 29 Oct – 13 Dec 2009
Octopus, Gertrude Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne, VIC
New Order, Redcliffe Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
Girringun, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
The Museum Effect, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW
I Have Not Been Myself Lately, QCA Gallery, Griffith University, Brisbane
Terra Nullius, ACC Galerie Weimar, Germany
Temperature 2, Museum of Brisbane, Brisbane
Origami High Street, Horus & Deloris Contemporary Art Space, Pyrmont, Sydney
2008

Gallery 4A members exhibition, Gallery 4A, Sydney
LAUNCH, Metro Arts, Brisbane
Linden Postcard Show, St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne
Optimism, Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
Half Light, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Music Makes the People Come Together, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW
Under the Influence: Art and Music, QUT Art Museum, Brisbane
NEW: recent acquisitions, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
MISFIT, Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Brisbane
The Dreaming: Australia’s International Indigenous Festival, Woodford
The Haunted and the Bad, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Linden
Gifted: New to the Griffith University Art Collection, DELL Gallery, Brisbane
2007

Living Black, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
The Visitors, Penrith Regional Gallery & the Lewers Bequest
MSSR [Extra] Event 1, Moreton Street Spare Room project, Brisbane
Artworkers Award 2007, Portside Warf, Brisbane
Arc Biennial Exhibition, QUT Art Museum, Brisbane
The revenge of genres, (touring exhibition) Les Brasseurs in Liege, Belgium;
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
Videotek, produced by P-10, Back Room, Post Museum
gadens : top ten, Gadens Lawyers, Brisbane
Sunshine Coast Art Prize (winner) Caloundra Regional Art Gallery
24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award,
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Friendly Fire, George Petelin Gallery, Gold Coast
Thresholds of Tolerance, School of Art Australian National University, Canberra
Amersham Trophy, proppaNOW Studio, Brisbane
Celebrating Aboriginal Rights? Macquarie University Art Gallery, Sydney
2006

23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award,
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Winners are Grinners, (touring exhibition) The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA); The Meat Market, Melbourne
Artworkers Award 2006, Raw Space Gallery, Brisbane
The Bodies That Were Not Ours, Linden St Kilda Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda, Victoria
From The Edge, The University of New South Wales, Sydney
Tell ‘em ya dreaming, The Dreaming - Australia’s International Indigenous Festival, Woodford
Christmas Show, George Petelin Gallery, Gold Coast
There Goes the Neighbourhood, proppaNOW Studio, Brisbane
2005

Dumb Luck, The Dreaming - Australia’s International Indigenous Festival, Woodford
Bring it, Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art, Brisbane
Artworkers Award 2005, School of Art Building, Brisbane
proppaNOW, Lane Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
smartart: paintings, works on paper and sculpture, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane
Thick and Fast, Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane
proppaNOW, Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane
Australia: Love it or leave it, online at CyberTribe http://www.fineartforum.org/Gallery/cybertribe/proppanow/index.htm
2004

Nice Coloured Dolls, 24HrArt, Darwin
Binnung Woolah dahgo, Queensland University Technology, Brisbane
New Flames – Voices Stories Regional Tour, Regional Galleries Association of Queensland and Campfire Group Projects
2003

It’s about difference, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane
New Flames – Artist in Residence, Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane

AWARDS / PRIZES
2009 - Winner, Linden Postcard Show, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne
2008 - Finalist, Spirit of Youth Australia, QANTAS, Sydney
2007 - Winner, Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Art Gallery, QLD
2007 - Finalist, 24th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Darwin
2007 - Finalist, Artworkers Art Award, Brisbane
2006 - Finalist, 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Darwin
2006 - Finalist, Artworkers Art Award, Brisbane

WORKSHOPS
CIAF Performance and Workshop Program, 21-23 August 2009, Cairns
Kids: Contemporary Australia Summer Festival, 16 – 26 January 2009, QAG | GoMA, Brisbane
Artist talk (UpLate), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 2008
Artist talk (Members UpLate), Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane 2008

MEDIA
‘The Collectors’, ABC Television, August 2009
‘The Letter Box’, National Indigenous TV (NITV), March 2009
‘Optimism’, Triple J Radio, 5:30pm Thursday 4th December 2008
‘Murri Country’, Optimism Kids Activity 2008, Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

PUBLICATIONS
No Place, exhibition catalogue, 2009
me-take, exhibition catalogue, 2009
RBS Emerging Artist Award, exhibition catalogue, 2009, pp. 6-7.
Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency (QIAMEA), 2009 Calendar
Half Light: Portraits from Black Australia, (exhibition catalogue) Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2008
NEW: Selected recent acquisitions (exhibition catalogue), University of Queensland Art Museum, 2008

EDITORIAL
Dunn, Jackie., 'The Inaugural Cairns Indigenous Art Fair', Artbank Newsletter, November 2009, p.12
O'Riordan, Maurice., 'Critic's Choice', Australian Art Collector, Issue 50, Oct-Dec 2009, p. 210
Rothwell, Nicolas., ‘Shining Lights of the North’, The Australian, Monday 24th August, 2009, p. 30
Gilchrist, Stephen., ‘Shifting Identities’, Art & Australia, V46, #4, 2009, p620-623
Bevis, Stephen., ‘Prized art fires desert pride’, West Australian, Thursday 14th May 2009, p. 7
Kirker, Anne.,‘Half Light : Portraits from Black Australia’ (Book Review), Photofile, Issue 86, 2009, p. 71
King, Natalie ‘Critic’s Choice’, Australian Art Collector, #48 APR/JUN 2009, p.167
Sorenson, Rosemary,. ‘Curios of the contemporary’, The Australian, Tuesday 17th March 2009

‘Brisbane’s Break’, New York Times, 22nd March 2009, http://www.nytunes.com/indexes/2009/03/22/style/t/index.html#pagewanted=0&pageName=22brisbane

Kelada, Odette., ‘Shooting from the hip: an interview with Tony Albert’, Art Monthly Australia, Issue #218 April 2009, pp. 15-18
Artlines Magazine, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, p. 52
Palmer, Daniel., ‘Optimism’ (art review), Art & Australia, Vol.46No. 3,2009,p. 509
Strohfeldt, Mahala., ‘Pushing Limits’, Koori Mail, Wed 25th February 2009, p. 53
Gardner, Anthony., “Contemporary Australia: Optimism”, ARTFORUM.com, Artforum International Magazine,
New York, http://artforum.com/picks/id=21935&view=print
Brown, Phill, ‘Loving the Alien’, Brisbane News, Wed 11 February 2009, p.19
Metcalf, Fran., ‘Weekend pick’, The Courier Mail, Saturday 17 January 2009, p. 6
City South News (Billboard section), Thursday 22 January 2009, p. 16
Brisbane News (Diary section), Wednesday 21 January 2009, p. 22
Murphy, Kara., ‘Accentuate the positive’, The Sunday Mail, Sunday 21 December 2008, p.66
Stead, Laura., ‘Top Choice’, The Courier Mail, Monday 15 December 2008, p.16
The Sunday Mail (Discover section), Sunday 7 December 2008, p.22
Canberra Times (Panorama section), Saturday 29 November 2008, p.19
‘Exhibition set to cause stir’, City South News, Thursday 27 November 2008, p.19
‘Reasons to cheer’, Brisbane News,, Wednesday 26 November 2008, p.29
Martin-Chew, Louise., ‘Contemporary Australia: Optimism’, The Courier Mail, Monday 24 November 2008, p.2
Stowell, Jill., ‘Pop goes the culture’, Herald Weekender, 04/10/08, p. 30
‘GoMA’s visions of hope’, The Courier Mail, Tuesday 18 November 2008, p. 42
‘The art of parenting’, The Courier Mail, Tuesday 18 November 2008, p. 38
’50 Most Collectable Artists’, Australian Art Collector, Issue 43, Jan – Mar 2008, p. 102 - 103
Killen, Rory. ‘Art in Preview’, Scene Magazine, Issue #712, November 2007, p. 45
Brown, Phil. ‘Funky Town’, Brisbane News, 14-20 November 2007, p. 49
Corser, Lizzie. ‘Upclose’, Brisbane News, 18-24 July 2007, p. 5
Browning, Daniel. ‘Who Decides’, ARTLINES Issue #2, 2007, p. 28
Machine Magazine (front cover), Issue #23, 2007

COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Caloundra Regional Art Gallery
Griffith Artworks, Brisbane
Horsham Regional Art Gallery
Monash Gallery of Art
Murdoch University, Perth
National Gallery of Australia
National Museum, Australia
University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art