COLLEEN MORRIS
COLLEEN MORRIS
Associate Professor, Dr Colleen Morris.
Morris has been exhibiting since the late 70’s and held more than twelve solo exhibitions. Her work has been selected for many group exhibitions within Australia, and been exhibited in several international exhibitions. Her studio practice encompasses a wide range of media including site-specific installations and sound recording. Her work is frequently focused on land and the freshwater landscape – its ecology, place, space, poetry and in particular, water paths, rivers and related environmental issues. The installations become metaphors for memory of place, significance of site, and through their aesthetic, they indicate the poetic aspects linked with the presence of water.
When viewing her installations, it is evident that although the artworks and philosophy are positioned primarily in relation to issues of the land, the environment and ecology, they are also concerned with poetry and aesthetics. Her belief is that through this combination, the significance of these issues can be communicated to a wider audience in the community.
The artworks reference and interpret water paths, ancient waters and watercourses, in relation to the aesthetics of water – works that reflect how this poetic vision is threatened by damage to the broader riverine ecological environment. As an educator and artist, pursuing practice - led research, she believes that eco-artworks and research of sustainability and the environment, help to create a greater awareness of the issues.
BIBLIOGRAPHY & COLLECTIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Australian & New Zealand Artists & Galleries. M. Germaine 1980
Who’s Who of Australian Women. B. Cosgrove 1982
Encyclopedia of Australian Art. A & S. McCulloch 1984 – 2015
Women in the Visual Arts – Women 150 Survey. 1985
RMIT Optimum 1989. Selection of recent works by distinguished Fine Art & Photography RMIT Graduates.
Dictionary of Women Artists. M. Germaine 1991
New Geographies of Knowledge (Artwork image) Artlink, S. Radok 1999
Who’s Who of Australian Women, Ed. S. Pearce, Crown Content 2006 – 2016
AAH09 Conference, Intersections-Poster Session 2009, hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester.
Cumulus 38 Degrees South International Conference, Paper presentation, hosted by Swinburne University, Prahran.2009
Arts in Society International Conference, Paper presentation, hosted by Sydney University, Sydney 2010
INSea International Conference, Paper Presentation, hosted by Art Education Australia (AEA), MCG Melbourne 2014
Cumulus International Conference, hosted by Nottingham - Trent University – submitted Abstract and attended April 2016
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REPRESENTED IN COLLECTIONS OF:
ARTBANK AUSTRALIA, Sydney
ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Perth, WA.
MILDURA REGIONAL ART GALLERY, Mildura
QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY, Brisbane
VICTORIAN COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, Melbourne
Public and private collections – Australia and UK
Solo Exhibitions + participated in selected group exhibitions, Australia + international throughout career.
CURRENT & PAST EXHIBITIONS
WATERS EDGE
February, 2018
Langford120
North Melbourne
BEEAC
October, 2017
WindowSpace
POETRY OF WATER PATHS
September, 2017
303 High Street Northcote, Melbourne Fringe Festival Exhibit 2017. (Window Installation)
DROPLETS: TRANS-DICIPLINARY SPACE
August, 2017
RED Gallery, St Georges Rd North Fitzroy
WEATHER WATCHERS: CHANCE OF RAIN
May/June, 2017
Langford120
North Melbourne
MUSEUM OF LOST PUBLIC NOTICES
May 24 - June 2nd 2017
George Paton Gallery
University of Melbourne
RESEARCH & PRACTICE
APPLIED RESEARCH & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
PHD Research; Water Paths and the Landscape: Poetry of Water paths, Water courses, Waterways and Rivers – Fluid links between Artists, Ecology and the Environment. RMIT University.
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LISTING OF EXHIBITIONS SINCE 2009
2017: Poetry of Water Paths: Deep Waters – 303 High Street Northcote, Melbourne Fringe Festival Exhibit 2017. (Window Installation) TBC
2017: DROPLETS: Trans-disciplinary Space. (August). RED Gallery, St Georges Rd North Fitzroy
2017: WEATHER WATCHERS: Chance of Rain. Langford120 (May/June)
2016: Poetry of Water Paths: Ancient Journey – 303 High Street Northcote, Melbourne Fringe Festival 2016. (Window Installation)
2016: Ancient Waters: Trans-disciplinary Space – RED Gallery, St Georges Rd. North Fitzroy. *curator & exhibitor
2015: Fluids: Transdisciplinary2015 – RED Gallery, St Georges Rd North Fitzroy (Installation) * curator & exhibitor
2015: Visual Discourse Part5: Metaphoric Pools, SPACE Gallery, Fairfield, Melbourne Fringe Festival. (Installation)
2015: Metaphoric Pools-Ancient Waters, Ellipsis Gallery, Langford120, Langford Street North Melbourne.
2014: Transdisciplinary2014-Water+Weather=Alchemy, RED Gallery (Oct) *exhibitor & curator.
2014: Museum of Abject Sentimentality – School of Art Faculty Gallery, RMIT University. *exhibitor in group exhibition.
2014: Visual Discourse Part4: Ancient Waters, SPACE Gallery, Fairfield, Melbourne Fringe Festival. (installation +projection)
2014: Relocation/Relative Location – School of Art Design School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester UK. (installation /projection) *co exhibitor – Clinton Cahill, MMU.
2013: Signature Pop - Up - SPACE Gallery, Fairfield (Installation) April
2013: Visual Discourse Part3: Relative Location – SPACE Gallery, Fairfield, Melbourne Fringe Festival. (installation/projection) September
2013: Relocation/Relative Location – ADFA Building, Deakin Ave, Mildura. Murray Darling Palimpsest #9 October
2013: Transdisciplinary Studio2 – RED Gallery, St Georges Rd North Fitzroy. November
2012: Visual Discourse Part2: A Conceptual Journey – Site-specific Yarra House grounds, Fairfield, Melbourne Fringe Festival. *exhibitor & curator
2012: Transdisciplinary Studio: RED Gallery, St Georges Rd North Fitzroy. *exhibitor & curator
2012: Imagination & Texts-Words, Waters & Water Creatures, Hospital Auxiliary Window Display, Royal Children’s Hospital Flemington Rd. Parkville. (Installation)
2011: Christmas HeART Exhibition-10 artist Christmas trees - Wyndham City Art Gallery, Werribee. (Installation)
2011: Visual Discourse Part1: Mapping of Cities - Mapping of Rivers, MMU & NMIT Collaborative Project. Site-specific Riverside Yarra House grounds, Fairfield, Melbourne Fringe Festival *exhibitor & curator
2010: Wall Installation-Transparent Boxes/Journals, B-SPACE Gallery, Fairfield
2010: Design process & planning Mildura Palimpsest#8 + Research for Visual Discourse Collaborative Fringe project.
2009: Drought, Cross - Cultural Connections: Fracture Gallery BMW Edge Auditorium, Federation Square (installation)
2009: Drought Discourse, Ballarat Mining Exchange, Ballarat (installation + presentation)
2009: Displacement: Murray Darling Palimpsest #7, Latrobe University Campus, Mildura. (Shipping container – site-specific installation)
GET IN TOUCH
Contact Colleen Morris