Australian Artist
ABOUT THE ARTIST
DR. GILLIAN RHYS
AUSTRALIAN ARTIST
BASED IN NOWRA, NSW
A desire to engage in the struggle to protect the natural environment first happened when I was 21 and I stopped at creek in Goulburn for a swim on a hot day while travelling. There was a sign that read ‘No swimming-polluted water’. In 1997 when I arrived in Lismore to begin my honours year there was a fish kill in the Richmond River that was caused by drainage from acid sulphate soils and low oxygen in the water. This event motivated my honours year work and the developments from that work led to a PhD, which involved cross discipline research with the school of Environmental Science. The artworks I am currently making continue to engage concern for our environment, especially water.
I also spend a lot of time in the Royal National Park where I make artworks based on the landscape and animals there.
QUALIFICATIONS
2007 | PhD, Visual Art, School of Contemporary Arts Southern Cross University, Lismore
1997 | Honours,Visual Art, School of Contemporary Arts Southern Cross University, Lismore
1986-89 | Bachelor of Arts, City Art Institute UNSW, Sydney
1978-79 | Art Certificate, Gymea College of TAFE, Sydney
EXHIBITIONS
2015 | Living Heritage – Group show with Annalisa Ferraris, Daniel Kyle, Reg Mombassa, Lucy O’Doherty, Charmaine Pike, Sam Stephenson and Eva Troyeur-Gibson – Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Gymea
2014 | Landscapes and animals from the Royal National Park – Garie Surf club
2013 | The Virgin in Australian Waters – The Horses Mouth (pop up gallery), Berry
2012 | Landscapes and animals from the Royal National Park – Audley dance hall
2011 | Women on Boards – Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst
2010 | Saints and Sinners – Journal St Gallery Nowra
2010 | Meroogal art prize – Shoalhaven City Arts Centre
2008 | Back From the North – Journal St Gallery Nowra
2006 | Group show with 100 artists – A Living Thing, Mori Gallery Sydney
2006 | Group show – Exhibition of Protest on site at Kurnell and Mori Gallery Sydney
2004 | Snakes in the Grass – Thesis presentation SCU Gallery
2001 | Rituals and Redemptions - Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay
1999 | Scale - Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore
1997 | Honors Year Exhibition - King St. Amusements Gallery, Lismore
1996 | Group Show - Woodbyne Gallery, Jaspers Brush
1995 | Royal National Park Cabin Community Land Care Group - Group Show - with Hal Missingham, Max Dupain, Reg Mombassa, Brian Nagle and Greg Barlow, A.B.C. Ultimo Centre, Sydney
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
2007 | Awarded Ph.D from Southern Cross University for my thesis Snakes in the Grass
2006 | Raised a substantial sum of money for the Royal National Park Cabins Community Protection League with a fundraising exhibition of the works of over 100 hundred artists at Mori Gallery in Sydney. The money was used to apply to register the RNPCC on State Heritage listing. The RNP Cabins Community was heritage listed in July 2012.
2003 | Edited the first edition of Cruxis, SCU Post Graduate Magazine.
2002 | Established and registered with the Department of Fair Trading the SCU Post Graduate Association (Crux)
2002 | Planted 600 trees and a vegetable garden to remediate part of a tailings dam on a disabled gold mine at Drake in Northern NSW
2002 | Coordinated the inaugural SCU Post Graduate Association conference.
2000 | Secured SCU internal research scholarshipe.
2000 | Founding member SCU Postgraduate Association (Crux)
1992 | Founding member of the RNP Cabin Communities Landcare Group
1982 | Founding member YAC (Young Artists Cooperative) in Sydney with the assistance of Sydney City Council
1966 | First in class Fairfield kindergarten