Australian Women Artists

Richard Graham

Australian women artists have been (and continue to be) underrepresented and undervalued in this country despite the stunning artistic works that have been produced since the mid nineteenth century.  This podcast will shine a light on those artists and their spectacular art works. I'll be talking to the artists themselves, both established and emerging, as well as experts on Australian women artists in history. 

  1. 1D AGO

    Sophie Perez

    Australian Women Artists The Podcast Ep. 57.     Sophie Perez Sophie Perez was born in Brighton, England. Her early love of art led to her formal academic training which culminated in her obtaining a Master of Arts in Painting at the Royal College of Art in London.  How she ended up in Australia...is an interesting story.  When she settled in the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, she embraced the unique landscape, and it informed her artistic practice. Her work was described as loose, gestural brushwork, with sensitive colour relationships that sought to evoke the feeling of place rather than replicate it literally.  By the latter half of the 2010s, Sophie’s work had begun to gain broader visibility within Australia. In 2022, she was awarded the People’s Choice Award at the prestigious Paddington Art Prize. She has also been a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize (2020, 2022) and the Lethbridge Landscape Prize.  "For me, painting transcends observation—it’s an invitation to connect with the beauty and complexity of our surroundings. Through my obsession to paint, I seek to forge meaningful connections that bridge the gap between artist and audience, celebrating the shared experience of the world around us." Sophie Perez Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation...or head to wherever you get your podcasts. Sophie is represented by  Australian Galleries, Salt Contemporary Art and Art Images Gallery Images 1 SP (in front of The Language of Trees ’ 170 x 300 cm diptych) 2 The daily commute, 2025 140 x 130 Oil on Belgian linen (all images are OOBL) 3 The joy and weight of MOtherhood 2025 140 x 130 4 Sundown 2025 75 x 70 5 Morning in the studio 2025 45 x 40 Check www.australiangalleries.com.au for availability of Sophie's works

    36 min
  2. FEB 10

    Caroline Walls

    Australian Women Artists   The Podcast   Ep 56.  Caroline Walls   Today on the podcast I’m very excited to be joined by Melbourne based contemporary artist Caroline Walls.   Caroline’s work explores the emotional lives of women through really bold but pared-back forms, and it centres on the female body, intimacy and ‘the emotional texture of everyday life’. Her paintings, drawings and sculptures sit between abstraction and figuration and the figures, at first glance appear to be simple flowing lines and rich, earthy tones. But her work makes you stop, look and... feel.   It’s quite extraordinary how her paintings exude such an intimacy through their pared back images.   She has a background in design and spent years living between London and New York. That period exposed her to elements that would later surface in her own studio work through bold silhouettes and controlled colour.  She made the enormous decision to return to Australia to undertake studies at the Victorian College of Arts...which brought immediate recognition and changed the course of her life’s journey.   It’s a really interesting discussion about how her practice has evolved and how her experiences as an Australian woman and mother shape the images she now creates.   Caroline has an exhibition 'She Once Was'which runs till March 7, 2026 at Olsen Annexe, Sydney, Australia. Make sure you have a look if you’re in Sydney and you’ll see firsthand what we’re talking about in this conversation.    To hear our conversation, head to the link in my bio or wherever you find your podcasts.  To see some of her works you can also head to her website: www.carolinewalls.com   Caroline’s solo exhibition can be seen @olsen_gallery @olsen_annexe Images supplied by artist 1 & 2 CW  3 All Day Long 4 Seasons  5 To Know What to Say 6 Into Your Arms 7 Are You With Me Now 8 Keeping Time 9 She Once Was

    31 min
  3. FEB 3

    Prudence Flint

    Australian Women Artists The podcast Ep. 55 Prudence Flint Prudence Flint is one of Australia’s most compelling contemporary painters. For more than three decades, Prudence has been painting seemingly ordinary women in ordinary everyday interiors undertaking ordinary tasks.  And the effect is extraordinary. The paintings are imbued with a stillness and the subjects are caught...almost mid thought. And that is quite captivating. Those (often) solitary figures captured in private moments away from the male gaze.  Her work is fabulous, engaging and thought provoking and very recognisable.  She has held solo exhibitions in London, Dublin, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart and has exhibited in major state and regional galleries. She is a seven-time finalist in the Archibald Prize. She won the Len Fox Painting Award (2016), the Portia Geach Memorial Award (2010), and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2004).  In 2023, Prudence’s work featured in the NGV Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria. Her work is held by collections including the National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, City of Port Phillip, Artbank, BHP Billiton, City of Gold Coast, University of Wollongong, Castlemaine Art Museum, X Museum, and numerous private collections.  It was a great conversation and to hear it, head to the link in my bio above.  Prudence is represented by @fineartssydney Image: PF by Karina Dias Pires

    32 min
  4. JAN 20

    Carly le Cerf

    Australian Women Artists   The podcast    Ep. 53 Carly le Cerf   Over the last decade, I think it would be fair to say that Carly le Cerf has become one of the most quietly compelling voices in contemporary Australian landscape painting.  Her paintings exude atmosphere and exhibit a beautiful balance of abstraction and observation. Her approach to colour, atmosphere and, I guess, stillness is what makes Carly le Cerf’s paintings so special and the reason behind her commanding a significant amount of collecting attention. Her inspiration was the, at times, overwhelming desert landscapes of the Pilbara. Those experiences and the influences on her work were profound. We discussed her creative processes in detail which was fascinating. Having seen her work recently at the Sydney Contemporary, I can vouch for the fact that you are drawn into the painting - it’s hard to explain. Her work is often done from an aerial perspective with very little, if any, skyline so the imposing landscape almost hits you in the face and causes you to look quite deeply into it.  It was also interesting talking about her Blue Mountains residency which meant a whole new colour palette and a whole new range of issues to resolve. She's done it brilliantly.   Head to the link in my bio to listen to her episode.    Carly is represented by Michael Reid Galleries and has an exhibition at Michael Reid Murrurundi (with Julz Beresford in partnership with R.M. Williams) in May 2026.      Images 1.   Cerly le Cerf 2.   Into Her Mystic 2023, 120 x 120 3.   Oasis 2022, 104 x 288 4.   Looking Out Over Redgums, 2025, 180 x 120 5.   Wayfinding, 2025, 180 x 120 6.   A Painters Path, 2025, 180 x 120 7.   That Alluring Diamond Haze, 2025, 120 x 90

    34 min
  5. JAN 13

    Nusra Latif Qureshi

    Australian Women Artists   The podcast   Ep 51 Nusra Latif Qureshi   A conversation with Dr Rebecca Coates (MUMA)   My podcast guest today is Dr Rebecca Coates, and we will be talking about one of Australia's most compelling contemporary artists, Nusra Latif Qureshi.   Nusra Latif Qureshi bridges the ancient tradition of South Asian miniature painting with what has been described as, ‘urgent contemporary concerns about migration, identity, and cultural displacement.’    Her distinctive artistic practice challenges conventional boundaries between traditional and contemporary art forms. She has been granted numerous international prizes and residencies in locations such as New York, Los Angeles, and Banff. Her works are held in esteemed collections including the British Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, the Parliament of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Smith College Museum of Art, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts.   ‘She points to history’s erasures, traces and ghostly images and encourages us to look, and then look again. Qureshi does not tell us what was once there but asks us to distinguish between what was and what remains.’ Hammad Nasar, 2005   Dr Rebecca Coates is a very accomplished museum director, curator, writer and lecturer. She is currently the Director of the Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA) having previously been Artistic Director and CEO of the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM). She has also worked at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Museum of Modern Art Oxford.    Over the course of her career, Dr Coates has curated over 50 exhibitions and organised programs for many of Australia’s leading contemporary art spaces, as well as international art museums and galleries.    Head to the link in my bio to have a listen to our conversation   https://nusraqureshi.com/ https://www.monash.edu/muma/home   Nusra is represented by Sutton Gallery, Melbourne

    34 min
  6. JAN 6

    Tracey Moffatt AO

    Australian Women Artists The podcast Ep 50 Tracey Moffatt (A conversation with Amanda Love) To celebrate the new year AND the 50 th post for AWA (!!!) I wanted to start with a personal favourite artist - Tracey Moffatt.  There’s an argument to say Tracey Moffatt is probably Australia’s most successful artist ever, both nationally and internationally. She is certainly one of the few Australian artists to have established a global market for her work.  A filmmaker as well as photographer, Tracey has held around 100 solo exhibitions of her work in Europe, the United States and Australia. In 2017, she had the rare honour of representing Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale with her solo exhibition, "My Horizon". To discuss artist Tracey Moffatt, I’m joined in this podcast conversation by Amanda Love.  Amanda is the principal at the fabulously named Love Art Advisory and is one of Australia’s most insightful and influential figures in contemporary art. She has been an independent art advisor and active art advocate for over 30 years, and an integral part of the international Art Basel network. She has served on the Board of Artspace and the Biennale of Sydney, Australia's largest contemporary art event, for over 10 years. She is not only a passionate collector, she has a Masters in Fine Arts (Hons) and holds the Christies Diploma of Fine Art, been an accredited valuer for over 20 years and has spoken as an expert on contemporary art in Australia and overseas, including at the State Library, NSW, National Gallery of Scotland, Arco in Madrid, the MCA, Sydney, the AGNSW, and Melbourne's Heide Museum. She has lectured for Christies Australia and regularly advised on Australian Art Collector Magazine's 50 Most Important Artists selection Panel. To hear our conversation, head to the link in my bio. For photos of Tracey’s work I’ll be posting a separate post in my instagram account, @australianwomenartists.  Instagram image: TM by Claudia Fitzpatrick

    28 min

About

Australian women artists have been (and continue to be) underrepresented and undervalued in this country despite the stunning artistic works that have been produced since the mid nineteenth century.  This podcast will shine a light on those artists and their spectacular art works. I'll be talking to the artists themselves, both established and emerging, as well as experts on Australian women artists in history. 

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