ABOVE IMAGE BY DEBORAH DORMAN
Sept 2026
NILLUMBIK PRIZE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART 2025
March 2025
It is so wonderful to be selected once again for the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art.
For every artwork that I create I can always see the final installation in my mind. It is usually a large and convoluted 3D expression of my concept and not something that I can afford to produce unless I know it has been selected for a prize or exhibition like this. Having people that understand what I am trying to achieve and who always say ‘Yes’ (no matter how crazy it sounds) is worth everything. I can’t stress enough how important the relationship between artist, printer and framer is. Without them I can only get so far. I am incredibly lucky to have such wonderful people working with me: printers Matt and Ria from Matte Imaging and framers Luke and the team from Arten .
Image: The Wandering Womb
Series: All Roads Lead to Salvation
About the prize:
NPCA (Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art) is an Australia wide biennial prize for artists working in any medium. The Open and Local Prizes are acquisitive and will become part of the Nillumbik Shire Council art collection. The Finalist exhibition will be presented at Montsalvat across three Gallery spaces from Friday 4 April – Sunday 25 May 2025.
Open Prize: $20,000
Local Prize: $10,000
Mayor’s Award: $500
People’s Choice Award: $500
Finalists:
Selected from 468 entries, the 34 finalists are artists Georgia Banks, Pia Coetsee, Emma Coulter, Lana de Jager, Lada Dedić, Chelle Destefano, Makeda Duong, Megan Evans, Mark Forbes, Phillip George, Tim Gregory, Petrina Hicks, Nicholas Hubicki, Virginia Keft, Janetta Kerr-Grant, Jenna Lee, Warren Lee, Arrayah Loynd, Donna Marcus, Kori Miles, Ezz Monem, Marisa Mu, Jamie Mumford, Serena Pinday, Kenny Pittock, Susan Reddrop, Britt Salt, Amy Schleif, Jacqui Shelton, Sia Smyth, Katie Stackhouse, Meagan Streader, Isabel Trufas, Jen Valender.
About the work:
This work is semi sculptural with varying depths across the whole piece and cutouts to reveal images below. All set within a custom painted blood red timber frame and enveloped by a large raised perspex box – as seen 1st image top right. Working out the logistics of the individual layers has been a mathematical nightmare for me but I think it is now good to go. I will share more images of the work once framed and also in situ at Montsalvat Gallery in early April.
Dimensions: all framed as one single piece 115cm x 75cm
Artist Statement:
This image is part of a personal story; a visual telling of the mental and physical impacts of living with chronic pelvic pain whilst dealing with medical misogyny, misinformation, and incompetence.
In a medical system where women’s pain is either dismissed or not taken seriously, I have had to learn how to advocate for myself and my needs. It is a constant battle and one that is proving very difficult to win. Sixteen years in limbo, a life stuck in a holding pattern of pain and loss with no end in sight.
There is only a thin membrane between what the world sees and the lived reality of my life. I may seem fine as I mask the pain, but if you excavate, even just a little, you will find it is all completely raw. I am lost in the ebb and flow of pain, of heartbreak and despair.
I am angry. I am difficult. I am defeated.
See more from this series here
Above: test prints
Above: final prints in protective wrapping
PHOTOGRAPHERS COMPANION – magazine Interview
December 2024
See full interview
HERE
PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography
March 2024
Two of my self published books have been shortlisted for PHOTO COLLECTIVE’s Australian and New Zealand Book Awards.
Come and Find me in the Open Photobook Award and Altered Landscapes in the PrePress Digital.
The book awards are part of PHOTO 2024 International Festival of Photography in Melbourne and prizes will be announced at the book weekend on 23 March at Abbottsford Convent. Lisa Murray and I will be at the book weekend with our self published monographs. Come and say hello at our table and see our books in person. View books here
2023 Wyndham Art Prize
August 2023
Well this one has literally blown my mind.
Last week I won the 2023 Wyndham Art Prize for my work ‘Dissociated #1’.
Thank you to the judges: Jason Smith (Director and CEO of Geelong Gallery), Gail Harradine (Curatorial Manager at Koorie Heritage Centre) & Nicole Durling (Executive Director at Craft Victoria). Also a big thank you to the curators at Wyndham Cultural Centre, Megan Evans and Olivia Poloni for such great support throughout the whole process.
Exhibition installation images: Artificial Studios
See details here
Photolucida Critical Mass 23′
August 2023
The Photolucida Critical Mass finalists have been announced and I am so pleased to be included again this year. The prescreening jury selects 200 finalists from submissions from around the world and now those people will be viewed and reviewed by a jury of nearly 200 of the leading photography industry experts in the world. This jury will then narrow it down to a top 50 and they will be exhibited in the US at a later date.
I am really pleased to see my incredibly talented friend and artist, Lisa Murray, also in the top 200.
See finalists here
Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 23′
August 2023
The Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize exhibition is almost at an end.
The winning work was by Chris Bowes for his work ‘Sunkissed #1,2,3,4’ and was awarded the $25,000 prize.
Four highly commended works were also announced at the opening event including my piece ‘I don’t always understand/Selectively Mute’, below.
Also highly commended were Judith Nangala Crispin, Melanie Cobham and Jess Leonard.
See finalists here
Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize 23′
June 2023
The Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize has been on my list for a while now and I am really excited to be a finalist this year for my work ‘I don’t always understand/selectively mute’.
There are 30 finalists for this national photographic prize and the winning work will be awarded $25,000 at the opening event at the end of June.
I am excited to have discovered so many new amazing works and artists within the top 30 as well as see some familiar names and faces.
Congratulations to all involved and thank you to the judges for the inclusion of my work.
See finalists here
Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art 23′
June 2023
The finalists for the Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art is exhibited at Monstsalvat Art Centre in Eltham until 11th June 2023. The open and local prizes were awarded to video works by Laresa Kosloff and Tina Stefanou.
It was wonderful to have my image framed and exhibited at its full size as part of the finalists exhibition and to have my work hanging near that of my wonderfully talented friend, Ayman Kaake. We gave an artist talk together last weekend which was such a wonderful, heartfelt experience and beautifully moderated by Spiros Panigirakis, head of fine art at Monash University.
A big thank you to the judges, Nillumbik Shire Council and especially the team from Arts and Culture.
See finalist catalogue here
Lensculture Art Photography Awards 23′
Feb 2023
My series, ‘come and find me’, has been selected as a Jurors Pick in the Lensculture Art Photography Awards 2023.
I am so happy and honoured to be included in the top 40 with all of the other incredible artists – winners, jurors picks and finalists.
You can view my Lensculture profile here to see my submission that includes additional unseen text for a deeper insight into the meaning of each image.
Thanks to Lensculture and the jurors and special thanks to Crista Dix, Executive Director of Griffin Museum (US) for selecting my work.
See all Lensculture Art Photography Award images here
SEE-ZEEN MAGAZINE ISSUE #7
Jan 2023
I am featured and interviewed in Issue #7 of See-Zeen magazine. It also includes photographers from Australia, Bosnia and Herzoviga, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, Switzerland and Ukraine.
It’s a great online magazine…I particularly love the visual dialogues between 2 photographers that they always feature in each issue so make sure to check it out.
You can see the feature and read the interview here
AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022
Nov 2022
I am so delighted to announce that I won the experimental category at the Australian Photography Awards 2022. I had the most wonderful weekend meeting so many new people in the photographic community and listening to some amazing and inspiring guest speakers. Thank you to the Photo Collective team (Harriet, Tom and Gus) for creating such a warm and inclusive event, I loved every minute of it.
See all of the winning images here
Images: Australian Photography Awards at Bodriggy Brewery with Photo Collective
ARTDOC PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE
Nov 2022
FEATURED ARTIST
I am so thrilled that a selection of my images from ‘Come and Find Me’ have been featured on the ArtDoc Photography Magazine website. You can view the submission feature article here. ARTDOC Magazine is an international photography magazine and a great resource for exhibitions, books, festivals, open calls and more.
HEAD ON LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2022
Nov 2022
I had a great weekend at the Head On Photo festival in Sydney recently. I attended the official opening and awards event, went to several artist talks, saw some amazing solo exhibitions and met some wonderful people. The Head On photo awards and festival is currently exhibiting a wide range of solo exhibitions as well as the finalists images for the Landscape and Portrait Awards. It was wonderful to see my image alongside the other finalists of the landscape prize on display along Bondi Beach promenade.
CRITICAL MASS MICHAEL REICHMANN PROJECT GRANT
Oct 2022
I am feeling so honoured to have received the CM Michael Reichmann Project Grant 2022. I never knew people would respond so well to this body of work. I felt so vulnerable in creating it and never anticipated an audience but am glad that it has found one. Thanks to Photolucida and the Critical Mass jurers.
HEAD ON LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2022
Oct 2022
I am excited to share that I have been selected as a finalist for the Head On Landscape Awards 2022. I am unable to share the image until after the opening night when the winners of both the Landscape and Portrait Awards will be announced on November 4th in Sydney. More soon.
ARTDOC PHOTOGRAPHY MAGAZINE
Issue #4, 2022
Oct 2022
EXHIBITION – IMAGE AND IDENTITY
Four images from Come and Find Me were selected for ARTDOC magazine’s exhibition ‘Image and Identity’, one of which was the featured image. A big congratulations to all of the artists involved. You can view all exhibition images here. ARTDOC Magazine is an international photography magazine and a great resource for exhibitions, books, festivals and open calls.
Format 23
Oct 2022
I submitted my series, Come and Find Me, to the Format23 open call and am absolutely thrilled that it has been long listed for consideration. Held in Derby, Format Photography Festival is one of the UK’s biggest photo events. Nearly 1000 people submitted to the open call and 200 were selected for the long list. All long listed submission now go before an international jury and only 15-20 projects will be selected to exhibit as part of the festival in March 2023.
Critical Mass 2022
Sept 2022
I’m so honoured to have been selected as a Critical Mass 2022 finalist. My latest series, Come and find Me (Vol 2), made the top 200 and it was a great opportunity to have my work seen by 200 photo industry jurors from around the world. Unfortunately I didn’t make the top 50 but that was always a long shot…maybe next year?
Image credit – ‘Venus’, Arielle Gray
Australian Photobook Awards 2022
May 2022
My book, Come and Find Me, won the Pre-press Open Category at the Australian Photobook Awards. The awards were held in Melbourne and formed part of Photo 22. This volume of images is from my onging series and was a deeply personal outpouring of trauma and grief. It was a difficult thing to share but I am so glad that I did even though I felt very vulnerable opening myself up in that way. Congratulations to all of the other winners and a big thanks to the judges and sponsors. I look forward to producing a physical book of this work soon.
Come and Find Me
19th May – 12th June 2022
Solo Exhibition
Opening events: Meet the artist Sunday 22nd May 10am-2pm, Q&A from 1pm
Montsalvat – 7 Hillcrest Ave, Eltham, Victoria, Australia
‘Silhouettes’
14th Sept – 8th Nov 2021
Group exhibition at The Boulevard @ Montsalvat, Eltham
Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art 2021
7th May – 1st July, 2021
My image ‘Difficult’ was selected as one of 40 finalists for this years Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Art. Exhibited at Montsalvat, it won the People’s Choice Award.
More than a sum of her parts
13th Feb – 26th Feb, 2020
Group exhibition
The historical praxis has relegated women as passive objects, most often as the subject of the art rather than the creators. This imbalance has started to be addressed with more recognition of the contribution of women artists, through written discourses and exhibitions that acknowledge their artistic merit.
(Above text from InCub8r Gallery exhibition statement)
