Artists Biography
Giles was selected as a finalist in the 2010 Archibald Prize.
Giles Alexander is currently completing his Masters in Painting at the National Art School (NAS), where he previously earned first class honours in Painting in 2006 and teaches as a sessional lecturer.
Encouraged to extend his creative abilities by his architect father, Alexander won a prestigious 5-year art scholarship to Bishop’s Stortford College in 1988 and subsequently went on to study art, photography and design at several British art institutes including Central Saint Martins in London.
Alexander rapidly engaged with the Sydney art scene when he immigrated to Australia in 2000, enrolling at NAS with advanced standing in 2003. In 2005, while completing his final year of his Painting degree, he won the inaugural MCQ International art prize at the MCA and the Murray Sime prize for painting at the National Art School. The year after completing his honours year, Alexander won the 2007 Metro 5 art prize in Melbourne and had the first of three successful solo exhibitions at Mori Gallery, Sydney.
In 2009 Alexander was invited as artist in residence to Wardlow in Fitzroy prior to his first solo exhibition in Melbourne. He was also selected for the inaugural COMODAA (Contemporary and Modern Australian Art) exhibition in Covent Garden, London.
Giles Alexander’s work is held in private and public collections, internationally and within Australia, including the London Guild Hall and ArtBank, and is currently held in stock at Haunch of Venison Gallery, New York.
Born London, U.K.1975
Current MFA, National Art School, Sydney (pending)
2006 1st Class Honours (Painting), National Art School, Sydney
2005 BFA (Painting), National Art School, Sydney
1999 Diploma in Mixed Media, St Martins School of Art, U.K.
1998 Diploma in Graphic Design, Kentish Town College, U.K.
1995 First year BFA, 3D Design & Photography, Coventry University, U.K.
1994 Diploma Art Foundation, Epping Forest College, U.K.
Awards, Scholarships and Residencies
2009 Works held in stock, Haunch of Venison Gallery, NY, USA
2009 Duke Prize, Brisbane, Queensland, finalist
2009 Wardlow residency, Melbourne, Vic
2009 Sessional Lecturer, Painting Dept, National Art School, Sydney
2008 Duke Prize, Brisbane, Queensland, finalist
2007 Duke Prize, Brisbane, Queensland, finalist
2007 Metro 5 Prize, Melbourne, Vic, 1st Prize
2006 Paddington Art Prize, Marlene Antico Fine Arts, Sydney, finalist
2006 Art On The Rocks, Sydney, Highly Commended
2006 Blake Prize, Touring Exhibition, NSW, ACT, Vic, Queensland, finalist
2006 R & M McGivern Art Prize, Maroondah Art Gallery, Vic, finalist
2005 Murray Sime Painting Prize, National Art School, Sydney, 1st Prize
2005 MCQ International Art Prize, MCA Sydney, 1st Prize
2005 Drawing Week, National Art School, 1st Prize
2004 John Olsen Drawing Prize, Sydney, Highly Commended
2004 National Art School, Awarded advanced standing
2004 Propeller 04, Sydney, Peoples Choice Award
1988 Bishops Stortford College, U.K. Art Scholarship (5 years)
Solo Exhibitions
2010 dianne tanzer gallery + projects, Melbourne, Vic
2010 Spacetime, Peter Walker Fine Art, Adelaide, SA
2009 Smoke’n’Mirrors, Kristian Pithie Gallery, Melbourne, Vic
2008 Neon Bible, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2007 Engineering Consent, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2007 Reverence, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2002 Survey, The Labor club, Surry Hills, Sydney
Group Exhibitions
2010 Archibald Prize, finalist
2010 Hong Kong Art Fair, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
2009 Sullivan & Strumpf, Extropy, curated by Sam Leach
2009 Comodaa Gallery, Australia Now, Covent Garden, London, U.K
2009 Kristian Pithie Gallery, Same same but different, Melbourne, Vic
2009 Innocence, Group Exhibition, Lorraine Pilgrim, Queensland
2009 Drawcard 09, NAS Gallery, Sydney
2008 Smithfields 140th Anniversary, Guild Hall, London, U.K
2008 Carteret Islands, Group Exhibition, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2008 Memento Mori, Group Exhibition, blkmrkt, Queensland
2008 Drawcard 08, NAS Gallery, Sydney
2007 Simply The Best, Group Exhibition, Lorraine Pilgrim, Queensland
2007 Greens Fundraiser, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2007 Solomon Fundraiser, Royal Australian Institute Architects, Sydney
2007 Reverentia, Group Exhibition, Lorraine Pilgrim, Queensland
2007 Group Exhibition, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2006 Drawcard 06, National Art School, Sydney
2006 Art Sydney 06, Hordern pavilion, Sydney
2006 nspiration comes of work, Group Exhibition, Kudos Gallery, Sydney
2005 Degree Show, National Art School, Sydney
2005 Infusion 2005, Fonas Group Exhibition. Cell Block Gallery. Sydney
2004 Face Off, Group Exhibition, Stairwell Gallery, Sydney
2004 Fonas Infusion, Group Exhibition, Cell Block Gallery, Sydney
2002 Recent Works, exhibition, Global Gallery, Paddington, Sydney
2002 Liverpool City Art Prize, Group Exhibition, Liverpool, NSW
2001 Strawberry Jam, Group Exhibition, Surry Hills, Sydney
2001 Recent Works, Basil Street Basement Gallery, London, U.K.
2001 ORANGE, Group Exhibition, Global Gallery, Paddington, Sydney
2000 BLUE, Group Exhibition, Global Gallery, Paddington, Sydney
Collections
Artbank
London Guildhall Art Gallery
MCQ International
Private collections in Australia, UK, Europe, USA and Singapore
Publications
T. W. Lawrance, Australia Now: Contemporary Art, The Arbuturian.com, October 2009
D. Rule, Around the Galleries, The Age, July 2009
Admin review, Artinfo.com.au, July 2009
G. Maestri, Smoke and Mirrors, Exhibition Catalogue, June 2009
S. Leach, Neon Bible, Exhibition Catalogue, May 2008
C. Ardill-Guiness, Metro 5 prize documentary, Ovation TV, April 2007
T. Skewes, Image isn’t everything, The Daily Telegraph, March 2007
Z. Skewes, Tinted Media Wins Praise, Herald Sun, February 2007
J. Roberts, Halfway around the world, The Age, page 3, 24/02/07
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