Sean McDowell
Born 1997, Erlangen, Germany
Lives and works in Melbourne (Naarm), Australia
Education
2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts (First Class Honours), Victorian College of the Arts
2018 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture and Spatial Practice), Victorian College of the Arts
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 Backdown to Earth, @14 Langridge
Bruise, Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space (CASPA)
Sean McDowell: Collectors’ Focus XII, Lennox St. Gallery (Online Exclusive)
2022 Organisms, Five Walls
2021 In the day I dream of faraway places, Kingston Arts Centre
2019 The Staging of Actions Past, St. Francis
Selected Works, Rubicon ARI
Cuprum, Cuprum, Kings Artist-Run
2018 The Repositioning of Objects that Once Functioned, George Paton Gallery
2017 The Repositioning of an Object that Once Functioned, Seventh Gallery
Commissions
2019 First Commissions Project, The University of Melbourne
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Refuge, workshop, stage, site: Billilla Artist Studios 2022-23, with Yvette Coppersmith, Sarah crowEST, Carolyn Cardinet, Noni Drew, Marie Honore, and Steffie Wallace,
Curated by Joanna Bosse, Bayside Gallery,
Lifeforms, with Anthony White, Bettina Willner, Jackie & Robby Wirramanda, John Olsen, John Aslanidis, Jorna Newberry, Judy Watson and Richard Young, Lennox St. Gallery
2022 Shifting Forces, with Julien Comer-Kleine, Gabrielle Skye Nehrybecki and Nina Rose Prendergast, C A V E S
2020 VCA Graduate Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts
From Heart + Mind, The Dax Centre
2019 Extended Gestures Extended, with Georgie North, Charlie Harding and Ben Pell, Five Walls
2018 VCA Graduate Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts
2017 Testing Sites- A public art project, The University of Melbourne
Group Conversations; Australia’s Shame, George Paton Gallery
2016 Proud 2016, Margaret Lawrence Gallery
Exhibitions Curated
2023 In a State of Limbo, with Georgie North, Tinieka Page and Alice Ramsden, Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space (CASPA)
2022 Shifting Forces, with Julien Comer-Kleine, Gabrielle Skye Nehrybecki and Nina Rose Prendergast, CAVES
2019 Curator of Box123, The University of Melbourne
2017 Co-Curator of Proud 2017, Margaret Lawrence Gallery
Grants
2021 City of Yarra Small Projects Grant
2020 Kingston Arts Grant
City of Melbourne COVID-19 Arts Grant
The Myer Foundation National Assistance Program for the Arts Grant
2018 UMSU Arts Grant
Prizes / Awards / Residencies
2023 Billilla Artists Studio Program, Bayside City Council
2019 Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship (Shortlist)
2018 Majilis Travelling Scholarship (Shortlist)
Perrin Sculpture Foundry Award (Recipient)
2017 Mary and Lou Senini Student Art Award (Finalist)
Graeme Hildebrand Art Prize for Young Contemporary Artists (Finalist)
Footscray Tertiary Art Prize (Honourable Mention)
Selected Media / Bibliography
2023 https://www.miragenews.com/2023-billilla-studio-artists-announced-915234/
2022 http://cavesgallery.com/exhibitions/shifting-forces
https://artedit.com.au/ones-to-watch-sean-mcdowell/
2021 https://www.kingstonarts.com.au/VISUAL-ART/Exhibitions/Sean-McDowell
2020 https://www.sane.org/media-centre/media-releases-2020/the-dax-centre-heart-and-mind
https://art2020.finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/programs/honours/sean-mcdowell
2019 https://www.kingsartistrun.org.au/artists/sean-mcdowell/
https://www.art-thoughts-au.com/search/label/Sean%20Mcdowell
Collections
Work is held in public, private and corporate collections throughout Australia, Singapore, USA, Germany and The Netherlands.