About



Peter Westwood is an artist, curator and arts writer.  

His creative works focus on ideas of being and living within unsettled conditions. Throughout his life his creative works haveinterpreting and revealed ideas and feelings about the fluidity of our lives. 

His creative works contemplate ideas of agency and passivity to reflect on how living within unstructured and unpredictable contexts may affect both collective and individual psyches. 

Peter is represented by Blockprojects in Narrm/Melbourne, Australia, Australia, and Boutwell Schabrowsky in München/Munich, Germany.



Biography


INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS

2024  The new way to live, Blockprojects Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2022 What happened during the off season, Boutwell Schabrowsky Gallery, München/Munich, Germany

Caught by surprise, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (HBK) Gallery (Braunschweig University), Braunschweig, Germany
2021 Painting as a marker of change, SITE EIGHT Gallery, School of Art, RMIT University Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2019 What is the Story for Tomorrow? Boutwell Schabrowsky Gallery, München/Munich, Germany
2017 Afterall, NKN Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2015 The Poor Hospital (passage and fate), Blockprojects Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2013 Drive, Blindside ARI, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia

Staring back at the world, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Eora/Sydney, Australia
2011 Look out, Jenny Port Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2010 Dieback, Jenny Port Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2009 48 Portraits, Jenny Port Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2006 Hard Times, The Doll’s House, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
2004 Shape, Crossley and Scott Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia

Differences, Crossley and Scott Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
1996 Things that have happened, Temple Studio, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
1995 Fruit of the forest, School of Art, Monash University, Murrumbeena/Melbourne, Australia
1992 Procession, Powell Street Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
1990 Untitled (Paintings), Powell Street Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
1989 Assemblages, Reconnaissance Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia
1988 Paintings, Reconnaissance Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia 
1986 Drawings, Reconnaissance Gallery, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia

COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS (recent)

2024

What we feel and what we know, Verein für Original-Radierung, München/Munich, Germany. Two-person exhibition: Julia Powles and Peter Westwood. This was also accompanied by a satellite project at Boutwell Schabrowsky Gallery, München/Munich, Germany.
2016 Major prize award: 2016 Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize

AWARDS, GRANTS AND RESIDENCIES

2022

Artist residency: Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (HBK), Braunschweig, Germany
2016 Major prize award: 2016 Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize 
2014 Artist residency: LIA - The Leipzig International Art Program, Germany
2012 Project Grant: City of Melbourne
2010 Artist residency: East China Normal University, Shanghai, PR China
2002 Curatorial residency: Crossing: New Art from Australia, an exhibition of contemporary Australian art, UIAH, Helsinki University Finland.  

EDUCATION 

2021

PhD, School of Art, RMIT University 
2003 Certificate IV, School of Education, RMIT University
1995 Master of Arts Research, School of Art, Monash University 
1982 Graduate Diploma in Education, School of Education, University of Melbourne
1981 Graduate Diploma of Fine Art, School of Art, RMIT University
1976 Diploma of Fine Art, School of Art, Ballarat College of Advanced Education  

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 

2023Unbecoming, Jacob Hoerner Galleries, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia. Curated by David Palliser and Julia Powles
2022All you need is love, Shau Fenster, Berlin, Germany. Curated by Berthe Bosse and Thomas Rentmeister
2021 2021 Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (finalist), Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, Australia
2020 How Soon is Now, Blockprojects Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 

The new ab/normal, RMIT Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Curated by Dr Tammy Hulbert & Helen Rayment  
2019 Spring 1883 Art Fair, Blockprojects Gallery, Sydney, Australia  
2018 Spring 1883 Art Fair, Blockprojects Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 

Group show, Boutwell Schabrowsky Gallery, Munich, Germany
2017 B-Side, Blindside ARI, Melbourne, Australia 
2016Painting, More Painting, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia. Exhibition curated by Max Delany (Artistic Director), Annika Kristensen and Hannah Mathews.
Artist Talk in conjunction with Gareth Samson. 

Finalist: 2016 Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, Australia

Finalist: 2016 Bayside Acquisitive Art Award, Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre, Melbourne, Australia
2015The Door in the Wall, curated by Verity Hayward and Lucie McIntosh, Blindside ARI, Melbourne, Australia
2014 Head: Incidents Above a Bar (part 4), curated by Louise Paramor and Lisa Young, The Alderman, Melbourne, Australia

Asteroid, Winter Spinnerei 2014, Leipzig International Artist in Residence Program (LIA), Spinnerei Arts Complex, Leipzig, Germany 
2013 Reading the Space: Contemporary Australian Drawing #3, New York Studio School, New York, USA
2012 A place to eat from, Michael Jäger Collection, Atelier Dorrit Nebe, Cologne, Germany 

People … ahh People, Gallery Mesh, Seoul, South Korea; curator Mihwa Park

The Rick Amor Drawing Prize, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia

Contemporary Australian Drawing #2: drawing as notation, text and discovery, University of Arts London, UK; 120 Langford Street, Melbourne; curator Dr Irene Barberis
2011 Crossing the Line: Drawing in the Middle East, intersections of understanding, Gallery Tashkeel & American University United Arab Emirates (UAE). An exhibition involving the work of six artists from Australia, six artists from the UK and eight artists from the United Arab Emirates, curated by Princess Shiekha Latifa and Dr Irene Barberis, Dubai

Australian Art of the 1970’s. The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia
20102010: How can a Network…..? The South Project, curator Zara Stanhope, West Wing (part of the program of West Space Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

1918 ArtSPACE, No,20 Moganshan Rd, Shanghai, PR China

Winter, Jenny Port Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

2010 Beleura National Works on Paper (invitation), Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington, Australia

Magnetic Islands, Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University – a joint survey of contemporary drawing from Seoul University and RMIT University – project component of the international Drawing Out Conference conducted by RMIT University and the University of Arts London, Melbourne, Australia

Distinction, 99 Creative Centre, Shanghai University Academy of Fine Arts, M50 Moganshan Lu Arts Complex; curator Song Kexi; writer/theorist Qui Min., Shanghai, PR China
2009
- 10
The Shilo Project, curator Dr Chris McAuliffe. The Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, Australia

Imagine, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia
2008The Mars Project, Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
2007Eye to ‘I’ - the self in recent art, curator Geoff Wallis. The Art Gallery of Ballarat. NETS touring exhibition: Warrnambool Art Gallery, Hamilton Art Gallery, Australia
2006Robert Jacks Drawing Prize, Bendigo Regional Gallery, Bendigo, Australia
The men’s gallery, curator, Rebecca Mayo. The Doll’s House, Melbourne, Australia
2003Group Show 2, Crossley and Scott Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2002Group Show, Crossley and Scott Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 
200131st Alice Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Australia
Mediations, curator, David Harley. Mass Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1997The Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia  
1996Superstar, Billboard project funded by Arts Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
A Centre of Culture, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia
1992Scotchmans Hill Art Prize, Geelong Regional Gallery, Geelong, Australia
1991Painting, Powell Street Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1989 The ICI contemporary exhibition, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, and then to Regional Galleries in Victoria and NSW, Australia

Decadence–10 years of 200 Gertrude Street, 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne, Australia

Adelaide Festival, The Living Arts Centre, Adelaide, Australia

New Work, Reconnaissance Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Reconnaissance, Launceston Community Arts Centre, Launceston, Australia  
1988New Work, Reconnaissance Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1987New Work, Reconnaissance Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Young Australians, inaugural exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria; traveled to State and Regional galleries in Australia and a range of museums in the USA

The Golden Shibboleth, 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne, Australia
1985Acquisitions for the Michell Collection, Melbourne University Gallery, Melbourne The McCaughey Prize (invitation), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia 
1983The New Art: works from the Michell Endowment, Banyul, National Gallery of Victoria annex, Melbourne, Australia
1979Still life still lives, Visual Arts Board traveling exhibition; inaugural exhibition at the The Art Gallery of Ballarat. Regional galleries traveling exhibition in Victoria and NSW, Australia

Michell Endowment, inaugural exhibition, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia  

Some Recent Art of the Ballarat Region, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia

REPRESENTATION IN PERMANENT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 

Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballaarat/Ballarat. Painting Collection and the Prints and Drawing Collection, Australia
Art Bank, Eora/Sydney, Australia. 
Auckland Art Gallery / Toi O Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand.
Bayside City Council Art & Heritage Collection, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia.

Geelong Art Gallery, Djilang/Geelong, Australia. 
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Narrm/Melbourne, Australia. Works included in the Painting Collection (Shell Collection and the Michelle Endowment Collection) and the Prints and Drawing Collection.
RMIT University, Narrm/Melbourne, Australia.
Victoria University, Mirring-gnay-bir-nong/Melbourne, Australia.
Wollongong City Gallery, Woolyungah/Wollongong, Australia.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (writing and curating)

Westwood, P. (2023) We each speak differently (Spanish translation), 'El Flasherito' Contemporary Art Magazine, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Harding, L., (2022) All of this is true, most of it happened. Some thoughts on Peter Westwood’s Caught by Surprise, catalogue essay, Galerie der HBK, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, Germany 

Cox, S., and Powles, J., (2019) What is the Story for Tomorrow?, catalogue essay, Boutwell Schabrowsky Gallery, Munich, Germany. 

Cox, S., (2017) Afterall, catalogue essay, NKN Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.

Delany, M., (2016) Painting, More Painting, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia. Contributing authors: Jan Bryant, Hannah Matthews, Justin Paton, Quentin Sprague

Powles, J., (2015) The Poor Hospital (passage and fate), NKN Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 2015
Accompanying poem Heel by Paul Carter, 2015

Cox, S., (2013) The Waiting Places, Catalogue essay accompanying the exhibition Staring back at the world, Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, Australia.

Powles, J., (2010) An order of sorts, Online essay accompanying the exhibition Dieback, Melbourne, Australia.  

Song, K. and Qui, M., (2010) Distinction, Shanghai University Academy of Fine Arts. Shanghai, PR China.

McAuliffe, C., (2009) The Shilo Project, The Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne. ISBN: 978-0-7340-4146-3

Wallace, G., (2007) Eye to "I" - the self in recent art, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia.

Zahra, L., (2005) Rhapsody 21C, ch. (essay) Artist Curator Academic, University of Tasmania Press, Australia.

Lindsay, R., (1995) The Shell Collection of Contemporary Australian Art, Shell Company of Australia Ltd., Melbourne, Australia.

Lindsay, R., (1989) ICI Contemporary Exhibition, ICI Australia Ltd, Melbourne, Australia.

Lindsay, R., (1987) Young Australians, Budget Transport Collection, Melbourne, Australia.

Lindsay, R., (1987) The Golden Shibboleth, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, Australia. 

Radford, R., (1979) Still Life Still Lives, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia.

Radford, R., (1978) Some Recent Art of the Ballarat Region, The Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australia.


BIBLIOGRAPHY (writing and curating) 

Westwood, P. (2022) When we slow down …. Catalogue essay accompanying the work of Charlotte Acklin, Boutwell Shabrowsky, Munich, Germany.

Westwood, P. (2021) Spaces of wordless immediacy. Catalogue essay accompanying the work of Jordan Grant, Blockprojects Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P. (2021) The space of translation. Catalogue essay accompanying the work of Jonah Gebka, Boutwell Schabrowsky, Munich, Germany.

Westwood, P., (2019) Sightings within the whole shebang. Catalogue essay accompanying the work of Jarryd Cooper, Blockprojects Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2018) Wonderlust, curatorial project and catalogue essay, BUS Projects, Melbourne, Australia. Artists include: Georgia Biggs, David Palliser, Julia Powles, Isabel Turner.

Westwood, P., (2017) The colour, the shape, NKN Gallery, Melbourne, Australia. Curatorial project involving the work of Georgia Biggs, David Harley, Melinda Harper, Michael Jaeger, Julia Powles, Antonia Sellbach and Isabel Turner. Exhibition text by Steve Cox.

Westwood, P., (2016) Bus Stop, (extended version) essay published in Michael Wegerer – Bouncing Borders (monograph) University of Applied Arts Vienna Press, Birkhäuser Verlag, Vienna / Berlin.

Westwood, P., (2016) Our ideal world, catalogue essay accompanying the work of Jordan Grant, (ed) Eric Nash, curator, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2015) The personal thing, catalogue essay accompanying the work of Melinda Harper, Julia Powles and Nyah Cornish, NKN Gallery, Melbourne, Australia.  

Westwood, P., (2014) Future Strategies: The New Art Alumni, curatorial project and catalogue essay. Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University Melbourne, Australia. 2014   

Westwood, P., (2013) Crowded out. An essay accompanying the work of Matthew Berka for the project My House is too Small, curated by Julia Powles. This project involved an artist residency project supported by Arts Victoria. Artists: Matthew Berka, Jessie Bullivant, Andrew McQualter, Simone Slee, Carolyn Eskdale and CJ Conway. Other writers: Russell Grigg, Carolyn Barnes, Alastair Phillips, Hannah Mathews and Dunja Rmandić. Melbourne, Australia. 

Westwood, P., (2013) The struggle is enough … , catalogue essay accompanying the work of Ryan Wilson for the exhibition Your father’s brother Robert, Kings Artist Run Initiative, Melbourne, Australia. 

Westwood, P., Not too close, not too far, catalogue essay discussing the work of Lim Dong Seung for the exhibition On Familiar Things, Lee C Gallery (Seoul Korea). 2012

Westwood, P., (2011) Hivemind, catalogue essay discussing the work of Raphael Buttonshaw, Tyler Clark, Dylan Hammond, Daniel Stojkovich. The School of Art Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
 
Westwood, P., (2010) The Proposition, catalogue essay discussing the work of Boe-lin Bastian, CJ Conway, Ed McAleice and Sean Crossley, The School of Art Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Powles, J., & Westwood, P., (2010) Can this be a painting? Catalogue essay discussing the work of Michael Jäger (Germany), Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.  

Westwood, P., (2010) Desire and what you end up doing. Bringing fiction into reality: Who are you talking to, me? Catalogue essay discussing the work of Barbara Kapusta (Austria), Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. 

Westwood, P., (2010) The moment where you think that that’s all it takes … Catalogue essay discussing the work of Julia Powles for the exhibition Dancing Without Lessons, BLINDSIDE, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2010) Representation in the meaning of a metaphor for a forest as endoscopy / links between locations, curatorial project, installation and catalogue text involving the work of Hoang Duong Cam (Vietnam). Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.  

Westwood, P., (2010) Like No Place Known, collaborative curatorial exhibition project and catalogue essay with Katarina Frank. Works by Kieran Boland (Australia), Cecilia Darle (Sweden), Gunilla Hansson (Sweden). Patrick Nilsson (Sweden), Jin Shan (PR China) Andreas Soma (Sweden). Project component of the international Drawing Out Conference conducted through RMIT University and the University of Arts London. The School of Art Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.  

Westwood, P., (2010) Bus Stop, (version 1) catalogue essay discussing the work of Michael Wegerer (Austria), Künstlerhaus Vienna, Austria. Multiple Matters - Grafische Konzepte, (eds) Wojcech Krywoblocki and Georg Lebzelter, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 978-3-900926-85-4

Westwood, P., (2009) The city lost in snow, catalogue essay discussing the work of Katarina Frank (Sweden/UK), Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. 

Westwood, P., (2009) Man in the Cold, catalogue essay discussing the work of Godwin Bradbeer for the exhibition Portraits in Exile, Ardel Gallery of Modern Art, Bangkok, Thailand.

Westwood, P., Things that remain, curatorial project, installation and catalogue text. Works by Steve Cox, Jess Crowe, Julia Powles, Greg Pryor and Leonie Zylberberg, Jenny Port Gallery, (Melbourne, Australia), 2008 

Westwood, P., (2008) The World in Painting, curatorial advisor and contributing writer to the catalogue essay discussing the work of Lê Quôc Viêt (Vietnam) for the exhibition project The World in Painting, (ed) Zara Stanhope, Heide Museum of Modern Art Melbourne, Australia. Regional galleries traveling exhibition.

Westwood, P., (2007) An obvious problem, catalogue essay discussing the work of Jan Svenungsson (Sweden) and Katrin von Maltzahn (German) for the dual exhibition project A Place on Earth & Tracking and Jorge Luis Borges visited Melbourne for 10 days; School of Art Gallery. RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.  

Westwood, P., (2007) The brain hand thing, catalogue essay discussing the work of David Palliser for the exhibition Imagine…the creativity shaping our culture, (ed.) Zara Stanhope, Heide Museum of Modern Art (Melbourne, Australia), 2006.  

Westwood, P., (2005) One another’s otherworld, Curatorial project installation and catalogue text, at the invitation of the French Cultural Centre, Melbourne. Featuring the works of Laetitia Bourget (France), Philippe Charles (France), Steve Cox, Sanné Mestrom, Dominic Redfern, Philip Samartzis, Ania Walwicz and Louiseann Zahra. Alliance Française de Melbourne (French Cultural Centre / Alliance Francaise), Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2005) Various Presence: the human spaces in new technology. Curatorial project, installation and catalogue text, Shanghai International Science and Art Exposition, China, 2005. Featuring the works of Mark Burry, Martine Corompt, Ho Sui Kee, Nicole Jaquard, Lyndall Jones, Dominic Redfern, Philip Samartzis, Daniel Von Sturmer, Christian Bumbarra Thompson, Jason Wade, Yandell Walton. Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2004) Siblings. Two concurrent curatorial projects with accompanying catalogue text titled Similarities and differences. Featuring the work of Loretta Quinn and Paul Quinn, Fiona Mc Monagle, and Tim McMonagle, Project Space and Spare Room Gallery, RMIT University Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2004) Beyond horizons / Horisonttien takana, curatorial project, and catalogue essay referring to the work of environmental artist Markku Hakuri (Finland). Faculty Gallery, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2004) The Drawing Room, curatorial project and catalogue essay, titled Insideout, accompanying an installation work by John Kelly. Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2003) Benjamin Armstrong and Katherine Huang, curatorial project and exhibition text (text drawing / poster). Works by Benjamin Armstrong and Katherine Huang. Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2003) Crossing: New Art from Australia, curatorial project with catalogue essay.  Works by Adam Bunny, Linda Erceg, Fiona Foley, Peter Graham, Katherine Huang, Dianne Jones, Tim McMonagle, Vera Möller, David Noonan and Simon Trevaks, and Christian Bumbarra Thompson. Lume Gallery, UIAH (University of Art and Design), Helsinki, Finland.

Westwood, P., (2002) David Potter, curatorial project (posthumous exhibition) and catalogue essay, Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2001) Berenice’s Hair /Bereniken Hiukset. Exhibition catalogue with curator Leena Lohiniva. Rovaniemi Museum, Finland and Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (2000) Seen something more, curatorial project and catalogue essay.
Works by Tim McMonagle and David Palliser. Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Westwood, P., (1999) rubik 10 – are you experienced, catalogue essay discussing the work of Tim McMonagle. The Physics Room, Christchurch New Zealand.

Westwood, P., (1999) The trouble with Harry, curatorial project and catalogue essay. Works by Judith Duquemin, Diena Georgetti and Daniel Noonan. Project Space and Spare Room, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.


I acknowledge and pay respect to custodians – past, present and emerging – on the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung Lands of the Peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation, where I live and conduct this practice. I extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, recognising that sovereignty was never ceded.

© Peter Westwood 2020