Sean McDowell

(b. 1997, Erlangen, Germany)

Lives and works in Melbourne (Naarm), Australia

Email: seanmcdowellart@yahoo.com.au

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  

2024 (Upcoming) And the World Turns, Linden Projects Space, St. Kilda, VIC

          Spectra, Lennox St. Gallery, Richmond, VIC

2023 Backdown to Earth, @14 Langridge, Collingwood, VIC

          Bruise, Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space (CASPA), Castlemaine, VIC

          Sean McDowell: Collectors' Focus Series XII, Lennox St. Gallery, Online Exclusive

2022 Organisms, Five Walls, Footscray, VIC

2021 In the day I dream of faraway places, Kingston Arts Centre, Moorabbin, VIC

2019 The Staging of Actions Past, St. Francis, Collingwood, VIC

          Selected Works, Rubicon ARI, North Melbourne, VIC

          Cuprum, Cuprum, Kings Artist-Run, Melbourne, VIC

2018 The Repositioning of Objects that Once Functioned, George Paton Gallery, Parkville, VIC

2017 The Repositioning of an Object that Once Functioned, Seventh Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC

Commissions

2019 First Commissions Project, The University of Melbourne, Southbank, VIC

 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2023 Refuge, workshop, stage, site: Billilla Artist Studios 2023-23, Bayside Gallery, Brighton, VIC

          Lifeforms, Lennox St. Gallery, Richmond, VIC

2022 Shifting Forces, CAVES, Melbourne, VIC

2020 VCA Graduate Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts, Southbank, VIC

          From Heart + Mind, The Dax Centre, Parkville, VIC

2019 Extended Gestures Extended, Five Walls, Footscray, VIC

2018 VCA Graduate Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts, Parkville, VIC

2017 Testing Sites- A public art project, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC

         Group Conversations; Australia’s Shame, George Paton Gallery, Parkville, VIC

2016 Proud, The Fiona and Sidney Myer Gallery, Southbank, VIC

Curatorial Projects

2023 In a State of Limbo, with Georgie North, Tinieka Page and Alice Ramsden, Castlemaine Contemporary Art Space (CASPA), Castlemaine, VIC

2022 Shifting Forces, with Julien Comer-Kleine, Gabrielle Skye Nehrybecki and Nina Rose Prendergast, CAVES, Melbourne, VIC                                            

2019 Curator of Box123, The University of Melbourne, Southbank, VIC

2017 Co-Curator of Proud 2017, The Fiona and Sidney Myer Gallery, Southbank, VIC

Grants

2023 Ralph McClean Microgrant, Fringe Fund

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 Residency 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://static1.squarespace.com/static/59e80ae06957dab9d5e3f599/t/6253a11296585b7233d94412/1649647890634/HLyon_Shifting+Forces_Exhibition+Text.pdf

https://artedit.com.au/ones-to-watch-sean-mcdowell/

2021 https://www.kingstonarts.com.au/VISUAL-ART/Exhibitions/Sean-McDowell

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59e80ae06957dab9d5e3f599/t/60e6f263dd9b6413cdd6a684/1625748070772/Tonight%2CIdreamofair.pdf

2020 https://www.sane.org/media-centre/media-releases-2020/the-dax-centre-heart-and-mind

https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/news/article/7797/2020-08-26-secret-spaces-a-review-of-from-heart-mind-at-the-dax-centre/

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 and internationally in USA, Singapore, Germany and The Netherlands.