ABOUT
STARR
'STARR CONVEYS A VIGOROUS NEW WAVE SENSIBILITY ...'
'... PAINTERLY PANACHE WITH POP ATTITUDE'
MARIE R PAGANO (GALLERY AND STUDIO MAGAZINE NEW YORK)
Starr is a contemporary Australian Magical Realism artist.
Graduating from the Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 1996, her career has gone from strength to strength ever since. Her work has been exhibited and collected in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States, including an exclusive permanent display in the foyer of La Nouvelle Eve, Paris. Her unique style is linked with the Magical Realism movement, but with a modern expressionist twist.
Imbued with a sense of youthful innocence through her energetic pops of colour, Starr caresses the canvas with her fluid brushstrokes. Her style compliments the warmth and fervour of the people and places that she represents in her works, along with her own restless passion. With a focus on the subtle interplay of light and movement, Starr’s works are created with a sense of immediacy, encouraging the viewer to recognise the importance of every moment. Her work incorporates elements of inter-textuality, creating oblique layers of meaning.
An incurable romantic, Starr cites love as one of her greatest inspirations. Whether it is iconic cityscapes such as the Eiffel Tower, the ballet, or the fluidity of the female form, this is a recurring theme throughout all her work. She also draws upon her love of the whimsical and the fantastical, intertwining fairytale elements with modern technology and
sci-fi pop art references. This is evident in her recurrent Alice in Wonderland series, where the central female character journeys through an ever-changing utopia, while struggling to hold on to her traditional values.
“My paintings are my ultimate fairy tale splashed across the canvas, capturing my freedom and passion as an artist in the brightest and boldest colours imaginable.”
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Starr has just opened her new SIGNATURE ATELIER, in the heart of Milton in Brisbane.
Open on Saturdays and by appointment most days, the new gallery space is close to the cultural and coffee hub and style that only Milton can offer!
EDUCATION
1990 - 1994
Bachelor of Visual Art – Fine Art – Queensland College of Art (Griffith University)– Queensland
AWARDS
Finalist
Lethbridge 10 000 Small Scale Art Award – 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020
Finalist
Brisbane Rotary Art Prize – 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019
Winner
Art 57 Sydney – 2011
Finalist
Tattersall’s Landscape Prize – 2009
Winner
Minister's Award for Excellence in Art - 1989
EXHIBITIONS
2023
2023
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Solo 'Swept Away' Ipswich Atelier - QLD
Artist in Residence - La Nouvelle Eve - PARIS, FRANCE
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2022
2021
2020
'Underland' (With Darren Jew) Red Hill Gallery - QLD
Solo 'Jardin' Red Hill Gallery - QLD
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Solo 'Australiana' Red Hill Gallery - QLD
River City - Group exhibition - Redhill Gallery - QLD
Solo 'London vs. Paris' Moulton Galleries - NSW
2019
Group Exhibition | Moulton Galleries – NSW
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2018
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – QLD
Solo | La Nouvelle Eve – Paris, France
2017
Solo | Pop-up Exhibition ‘Fleur’ – Red Hill Gallery – QLD
Ceramics Launch – ‘I Heart The Stars’ – QLD
2016
Solo | Red Hill Gallery - QLD
2015
Solo | Pop Up – Red Hill Gallery - QLD
2014
Solo | ‘Wanderlust’ Red Hill Gallery – QLD
Group Exhibition | Traffic Jam Galleries – NSW
Solo | Framed Gallery – Darwin NT
2013
Solo | Traffic Jam Galleries – NSW
Solo | Tosari Art Gallery – Toowoomba QLD
2012
Group Exhibition | Traffic Jam Galleries – NSW
Solo | Traffic Jam Galleries – NSW
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – QLD
2011
Urban Passion, Group Exhibition | Traffic Jam Gallery – Neutral Bay NSW
Spectacle and Observer, Group Exhibition | Traffic Jam Gallery – Neutral Bay NSW
Solo | Fusion Fine Art Gallery – Perth WA
Solo | Tosari Art Gallery – Toowoomba QLD
2010
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
2009
Solo | Framed Gallery – Darwin NT
Group Exhibition | Moulton Gallery – Gold Coast QLD
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
2008
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
2007
Group Exhibition | Infusion Gallery – Los Angeles USA
Group Exhibition | Framed Gallery – Darwin NT
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
2006
Group Exhibition | ‘Australian Style’ – Galerie Dauphin Singapore
Group Exhibition | Agora Gallery – New York USA
Solo | Framed Gallery Darwin NT
Solo | Emporium Gallery Brisbane
Group Exhibition | ‘Postcards from the Edge’ – New York USA
2005
Solo | Galerie Dauphin – Singapore
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
Group Exhibition | Lynne Wilton Gallery - Melbourne
‘Checkers’ Group | Framed Gallery – Darwin NT
Judge/Featured Artist | Nundah Art Prize – Brisbane+
2004
Solo | Galerie Dauphin – Singapore
Group Exhibition | Agora Gallery – New York USA
Solo | Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
2003
Solo | ‘I Can Be Colourful’ – Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
Group Exhibition | True Blue – Framed Gallery – Darwin
2002
‘Designing Women’ – Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane
‘Introduction Down Under’ – Galerie Dauphin – Singapore (featuring Judith Laws and Rex Backhaus-Smith)
Solo | ‘Standing on a Beach’ – Cool-Art Gallery – Sunshine Coast
2001
‘Emerging Artists’ – Red Hill Gallery – Brisbane (featuring John Beeman, Colley Whisson, Richard Bogusz )
‘In the Garden’ – Starfish Gallery – Woody Point
1999
Pop Art Exhibition – Universal Bar/Restaurant – Brisbane
1998
Group Exhibition | Metro Art Space – Brisbane
RESIDENCIES
May 2006
Darwin, NT
June 2007
Kangaroo Valley, NSW
CORPORATE COMMISSIONS
CSIRO (Canberra)
Department of Transport (Qld)
Xerox (Qld) – West End Offices Brisbane
Security Mailing (Sydney and Brisbane)
Conoco Phillips (NT)
Limited Edition Prints for Xenor Pty Ltd (four prints commissioned for Australia wide release)
Specially commissioned works for book and CD covers:
‘Introduction to Marketing’ (Dann and Dann) 2005 John Wiley and sons Australia
‘Consumer Behaviour’ (Solomon, Dann, Dann, Bennett) 2006 Pearson Publisher
‘Gypsy’ CD Cover – Phil Lewis – La Guns USA
Wine labels for Vinex P/L for use on the ‘Two Souls’ range of wines exported to the USA
Nak Hair Products – Campaign centred on Starr’s self portrait titled ‘Not all There’