JULIAN MEAGHER
Julian Meagher is a 34 year old Sydney-based artist. Six years ago he left work as a medical doctor to pursue painting full-time. His work explores the binary nature of contemporary Australian masculinity. He paints what he calls 'male still lives'. Orchids feature strongly in his work, their name deriving from the Greek Orchida, meaning testicle. The distinct use of shades of pink colours the shadows cast by these symbols of man, and whimsically explore the irony in modern masculinity. Meagher is interested in the colour theory of gender association as well as present day tribal colour associations.
In 2009 and 2012 he was the recipient of the New Work Grant from the Australia Council of the Arts. He has been finalist multiple times in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, Salon des Refuses, Metro Art Prize, Blake Prize for Religious Art and the RBS Emerging Artist Prize. He has exhibited at the Melbourne International Art Fair in 2010 and 2012, the Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair in 2010 and Scope Miami in 2011 and 2012.
Education
1997-2003
Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, University of New South Wales
2000
Portrait Painting at Charles H Cecil Studios, Florence, Italy
1994-1997
Part time student at Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney
Solo Exhibitions
2013
The Space Between Couds and Mud, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
2012
Pressure Makes Diamonds, Aratong Galleries, Australian High Commission, Singapore
As a Matter of Fact, 52 Tins flight QF1, Art Vault, Mildura, Victoria
2011
Blue Ribbon, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
The King of Good Times, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
Strong men also cry, Lindberg Gallery, Melbourne
2010
Small Heroes, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
Portable Shrines, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane
2009
Mikoshi, Scott Livesey Gallery, Melbourne
Inks in Oil, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
2008
The best gesture of my brain, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
Scrub Series, Upstairs Flinders Gallery, Melbourne
2007
Integument, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
2006
Scanning, SNMI 06, Jamshedpur, India
Dissections, Depot II Gallery, Dank Street, Sydney
2003
Sketches from India, New York & Jupiter, Knot Gallery, Sydney
2002
Double Exposure Oils on X Ray, Pavillion Gallery, Bondi Sydney
2000
Artist in Residence, Sydney Grammar School, Sydney
Group Exhibitions
2011
Wattle, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
2010
Tatau BMGART Adelaide
Shanghai Art Fair, Future Perfect Contemporary Art Platform, China
Melbourne Art Fair, Chalk Horse Gallery
Aratong Gallery, Singapore
2009
The Horn of Plenty, Para/site Gallery Hong Kong Inks, Concord Library, City of Canada Bay Sydney Smoking Guns, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong 2008
Chalk Reindeer, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney
My Body, My Business, At The Vanishing Point Gallery, Sydney
2007
Chalk Reindeer, Chalk Horse Gallery, Sydney Australia Council of the Arts Window Box Show, Sydney
New Artists Collective Exhibition, McCulloch Gallery, Melbourne
Cross Sections II Collector’s Choice, Rex-Livingston Gallery, Sydney
Prizes
2010
Black Swan Prize for Portraiture Finalist, Perth
Metro Art Award Finalist, Melbourne
Salon Des Refuses Finalist, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney
2009
RBS Emerging Art Award Finalist
Blake Prize Finalist
Metro 5 Art Prize Finalist, Melbourne
Doug Moran Portrait Prize Finalist, State Library NSW
Salon Des Refuses Finalist, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney
2008
Australia Council Emerging Artist New Work Development Grant
2003
Salon Des Refuses Finalist, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney 2002
Salon Des Refuses Finalist, S.H Erwin Gallery, Sydney
Collections
Artbank
St Paul’s College, Sydney University
St John’s College, Sydney University
St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Sydney
Private collections Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and Hong Kong