BIO | STATEMENT | CV | WORKS | PRESS

Richard Blackwell

BIO

 

Born in Canberra, Australia in 1987, Richard Blackwell graduated with honours and a
University medal from the Printmedia+Drawing Department of the Australian National
University in 2008. His work has been featured in shows around the Australia,
including exhibitions at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art in early 2009 and
more recently group and solo shows at Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne, M16
artspace in Canberra and at the Canberra Contemporary Art Space’s annual
emerging artists show BLAZE:4.

 

In 2009 Richard was awarded a prestigious ‘New Work’ grant by the Australia
Council for the Arts and will be displaying the results in a multitude of solo efforts in
the following years. Richard now works at the ANU teaching a course called 'digital
drawing' amongst others.

Working within a context of contemporary drawing, Richard prolifically creates small
and large scale works in a multitude if materials. His open approach to art practice
sees him making works from small pieces of embossed paper, to 20 ft wide wall
panels and 400+ piece cardboard installations. Richard is interested in the
possibilities of new technologies and often utilizes large scale, industrial
manufacturing processes (such techniques that can be found in the advertising and
furniture industry) to achieve his vision. Despite being unbound by the limitations of
the 'hand made' Richard utilizes this approach to address very tried and true
methods of illusion and mark making that have been exploited by painters and printmakes
for centuries. By doing this Richard wants to address not only the act of
making art in a contemporary society but the way in which people perceive reality in
this context. Despite being highly formal considered 'drawings' in there own right
Richard asks his work to tell their secrets. His objects attempt to be deceptive about
what they really are, whilst simultaneously revealing their home truths.