Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand in 1971, Dave lived in Auckland, Canterbury and Singapore before moving to Australia to live in Sydney's Inner West in 1997. He has lived on Minjungbal Country on the New South Wales Far North Coast since 2008.
Dave majored in sculpture at the National Art School in Sydney, winning the Julian Beaumont Sculpture Prize in 2002, and graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Sculpture in 2003. In 2005 he completed a Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) and is now a part time sculpture teacher at TAFE NSW campuses in the Northern Rivers. He primarily works from his studio in Ocean Shores.
Dave uses sculpture, photography and drawing to research concepts expressed in figuration and abstraction.
Qualifications
2002 Bachelor of Fine Arts. Majoring in Sculpture. Winner of the Julian Beaumont Sculpture Prize. National Art School, Sydney
2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Honours in Sculpture. National Art School, Sydney
2005 Graduate Diploma of Education (Visual Arts). University of Technology, Sydney
2011 CERT IV in Training and Assessment (TAE), North Coast Institute of TAFE, NSW
2019 Upgrade to Cert IV Training and Assessment 2019 version, TAFE NSW
Solo Shows
2021 July 3 - 28 Whimsical / Seriously, Robin Gibson Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW
2018 May - CUBE, Byron Shire Council, mini solo exhibition, Mullumbimby, NSW
2014 August - CUBE, Byron Shire Council, mini solo exhibition, Mullumbimby, NSW
2013 March - April. New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah, at Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW.
Dave travelled to Spain, Singapore and the USA in 2012. Photos and drawings from this trip and sculptures inspired by these images, and by the architectural landscape of the Northern Rivers were in this show.
Group Shows/Commissions
2023 Sep - The 3rd Dimension, Serpentine Gallery, Lismore, NSW
2023 Sep - Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin Beach, QLD
2023 Sep - Swell Smalls - Indoor show. Currumbin Beach, QLD
2022 Nov - Ocean Shores Art Expo - winner 2nd prize - drawing section. NSW
2022 Nov - Coraki Art Prize, Evans Head, NSW
2022 Sep - Urunga Small Sculpture prize, finalist. Urunga, NSW
2022 Aug - Teetering on the Edge - Hotel Metropole, Lismore, NSW
2022 Aug - Byron Writers Festival - Sculpture show, Byron Bay, NSW
2022 March - April, Flooded - Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2021 Sep - Ocean Shores Art Prize (online due to COVID) Ocean Shores, NSW
2021 Aug - 2022 Jan, JADA Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award touring to Glasshouse Port Macquarie, NSW, then Gympie Regional Gallery, QLD
2020 Oct - JADA - Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award - selected as a finalist. Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW (PDF catalogue available here)
2020 May - June "Post Normal" a collaborative project, run as an at-home residency with Lismore Quad and Lismore Regional Gallery (The final work is presented as a film, and can be viewed at this link: https://lismorequad.org.au/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-XFK-07-82-53
2020 May - Border Art Prize exhibitor, Tweed Regional Gallery, Murwillumbah (online exhibition and catalogue due due to COVID19)
2020 Mar - Tom Bass Figurative Sculpture Prize - finalist. Juniper Hall, Paddington, Sydney, NSW
2019 Nov - Ingenuity Sculpture Festival, Mullumbimby, NSW
2019 Aug - Serpentine Gallery, LACE Show, Lismore, NSW
2019 Aug - Ocean Shores Art Exhibition, Ocean Shores, NSW
2019 Aug - Byron Writers Festival sculpture exhibition, Byron Bay, NSW
2019 May - Salaam Fundraising Exhibition, Grafton Regional Gallery (curator and exhibitor), Grafton, NSW
2019 May - Murwillumbah Art Trail - Hallway Gallery, Murwillumbah TAFE staff exhibition
2018 Nov - Coraki Art Prize, Coraki, NSW
2018 Sept – Swell Sculpture Festival, finalist. Exhibited at Currumbin Beach, QLD
2018 Sept – Ocean Shores Art Expo, Ocean Shores, NSW
2018 Jun- Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina. Waterfalls show
2018 April - Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery/MART space, Murwillumbah
2018 Feb - Lismore TAFE, Staff Show, Space Gallery, Lismore, NSW
2017 Dec - Muse Gallery, Lismore, NSW. Miniature Show
2017 Nov - Coraki Art Prize, Coraki NSW - Highly commended in the sculpture section
2017 Oct - Ocean Shores Art Expo, NSW - Highly commended in the sculpture section
2017 Aug - Byron Writers' Festival sculpture exhibition, Byron, NSW
2017 Feb - Staff Show - Space Gallery, North Coast TAFE Lismore
2016 Oct - CASE Postcard Show, Artpiece Gallery, Mullumbimby, NSW. Winner 3D section.
2016 Sept - Byron Writers' Festival - sculpture exhibition, Byron, NSW
2016 Sept - Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin, QLD
2016 May - June - Border Art Prize, Tweed Regional Gallery, NSW
2016 March - Byron Arts Classic, Byron Bay, NSW
2016 February - Staff Show at North Coast Institute of TAFE, Lismore, NSW
2015 Sep - Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin beach, QLD
2015 Aug - Ocean Shores Art Expo. Winner 2nd prize - mixed media section.
2015 March - Staff show at North Coast Institute of TAFE, Lismore, NSW.
2014 Nov - Art Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby NSW. CASE Postcard Show.
2014 June - Hammer and Hand "Exhibit A", Byron Bay.
2014 June - Border Art Prize Finalist and winner of a Shirley Kennedy Award at Tweed Regional Gallery
2014 Feb - North Coast Institute of TAFE, Lismore - Staff Show
2014 Jan - Byron Arts Classic, Byron Bay, NSW
2013 Nov - Hammer and Hand - 13 Boxes Show
2013 Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin Beach, QLD (Including the indoor show at Way of Design Gallery)
2013 June The Northern Rivers Portrait Prize - Lismore Regional Gallery. Finalist.
2012 Nov - 2013 Jan - The Border Art Prize, Tweed River Art Gallery finalist. Winner of a Shirley Kennedy Encouragement Award.
2012 Sep - Swell 2012 - Swell Sculpture Festival, Currumbin Beach QLD
2012 May - Hammer and Hand - Inverted World Show, Byron Bay
2012 The Endless Sunrise Photographic Exhibition, Byron Bay - Fundraiser for Positive Change for Marine Life
2011 A number of my works are now part of the Sydney University Collection,
Bequeathed by Roddy Meagher
2011 "Love" Commission in memory of Roddy Meagher for Richard Weinstein
2011 Hammer and Hand Collective, "Three", Byron Bay
2011 Defiance Gallery, Miniature Sculpture Show, Newtown Sydney
2011 Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay, Small Sculpture show
2011 Byron Bay Writers Festival Sculpture Prize - Finalist
2011 Olive Cotton Photography Prize Tweed River Art Gallery - Finalist
2010 Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne, Hard Rubbish Show
2010 Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay, Collage Show
2009 Waywood Gallery, “Wish You Were Here” Art Prize, winner
2009 Bangalow Art Prize, Honorable Mention
2009 S.H. Ervin Gallery, Salon Des Refuses, Finalist
2009 Hardware Gallery, Bushwhacked, Enmore, Sydney
2009 Hardware Gallery, Time Show, Enmore, Sydney
2008 FEHVA Visual Arts Festival, Bangalow, NSW
2008 Hardware Gallery, Google Show, Enmore, Sydney
2008 King Street Gallery on William, Compositions, Darlinghurst, Sydney
2007 ATVP, Marrickville Art Prize finalist, Newtown, Sydney
2007 Hardware Gallery, Unintended Consequences Drawing Show, Enmore, Sydney
2006 Mary Place Gallery, ‘Transitions’ Paddington, Sydney
2006 Thistle for Didier – A sculpture commissioned for the Meagher collection in Bowral, NSW Southern Highlands
2005 Mandalay Gallery, Asian Tsunami Fundraising Exhibition, Coolum, QLD
2005 ASX Reuters Fundraising show, Royal Exchange, Sydney
2005 Willoughby Art Prize finalist, Chatswood, Sydney
2004 Defiance Gallery, Miniature Sculpture Show, Newtown, Sydney
2004 New Contemporaries Gallery Must Go Show, QVB, Sydney
2004 Robin Gibson Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney - Sculpture XVI
2004 FONAS Spectrum show, Parliament House, Sydney
2004 James Harvey Gallery, Clovelly, Sydney.Touch Wood, Sculpture 2004
2003 Defiance Gallery, Miniature Sculpture Show, Newtown, Sydney
2003 New Contemporaries, Sculpture, QVB, Sydney
2003 Robin Gibson Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney
Collections
Bundanon Trust, Illaroo, NSW. https://bundanon.com.au/bundanon-collection/04-0028-0001-01/
Shoalhaven City Regional Gallery, NSW. M G Dingle & G B Hughes Collection
Sydney University Art Gallery, NSW. Roddy Meagher Collection - linked here
Richard Weinstein Collection, NSW. Link to Vogue Apartments article.
Awards
2022 Ocean Shores Art Expo - winner 2nd prize, drawing section
2021 Ocean Shores art prize (online due to COVID) - winner 2nd prize in the 3D section
2020 At-home artist in residence collaboration - Post Normal. Awarded by the Lismore Quad and Lismore Regional Gallery (During COVID lockdown May - June)
2016 Winner of the 3D section of the CASE Postcard Show, Artpiece Gallery, Mullumbimby, NSW
2015 Winner of 2nd prize in the mixed media section of the Ocean Shores Art Expo.
2014 Winner of a Shirley Kennedy Award in the Border Art Prize at Tweed Regional Gallery.
2012-13 Winner of the Shirley Kennedy Encouragement Award as part of the Border Art Prize Tweed Regional Gallery
2010-11 Artist in Schools Program NSWDET - Awarded a grant to be an artist in residence at Crabbes Creek Public School teaching mural painting and stopmotion-animation.
2009 Winner, Waywood Gallery, “Wish You Were Here” Art Prize
2003 Artist in Residence. Arthur Boyd's Bundanon, Illaroo, NSW
2002 Winner, Julian Beaumont Sculpture Prize for an outstanding body of work in sculpture, National Art School Degree Show.
2002 Joint winner of the Robin Gibson Gallery Exhibition Award
Selected Publications
Nov 2021 Panels and Furniture Asia. Zero Waste: Furnishing homes with recycled materials. By Ken Hickson PDF here
Oct 2020 JADA Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award - catalogue and essay by Dr Andrew Frost. Catalogue PDF here
May 2019 - NBN news - interview and report on the Salaam exhibition at Grafton Regional Gallery
May 2019 - Grafton Examiner - report on the Salaam exhibition and photo and interview with Dave.
Aug 2018 - Northern Star, Lismore - Article and photo on my series of sculptures at Swell Sculpture festival
April 2017 - Byron Life Magazine - Feature article on Bay FM Community News Team - I was reporting for this show.
September 2013 Common Ground North Coast. Interview in relation to Swell Sculpture Festival. Link to article online here: http://commongroundaustralia.com/byronbay/arts-community/swell/ or click here for a PDF
June 1-2 2013 Sydney Morning Herald - Traveller. My photograph and paragraph published as part of the Snapped column. See scan here
March 2013 Northern Star, article by Christian Morrow, photo by Patrick Gorbunovs "Magical dawn inspires art." Article about my exhibition: New York, Barcelona, Murwillumbah.
Dec 2012 Swell Sculpture Festival DVD - includes footage of a brief interview with me discussing my work and practice.
2012 Roddy's Folly, a biography of RP Meagher QC, by Damien Freeman, Connor Court Publisher. Includes a number of images and text in relation to my work.
Sep 2011 The Northern Star - Olive Cotton article by Kate O'Neill
2009 The ABC of Carbon, by Ken Hickson, includes an image on page 264 (click here for a PDF of the image from the book) http://abccarbon.com/
June 2009 The Echo, Byron Bay, “Wish You Were Here Art Prize” photographed by Jeff Dawson Pg 4
June 2009 Artifacts, Tweed River Regional Art Gallery publication, Salon de Refuses finalists
Mar 2009 The Weekend Australian, Review, “About Face” by Christopher Allen, pg 18
July 2007 The Sydney Magazine (Sydney Morning Herald), Paint by Numbers. Pg 42
2004 Vogue Apartments special issue. ‘For Art’s Sake’. Pg 35
Other study and workshops
2006 Printmaking Workshop - Musée Carnavalet, Paris, France
2006 - 2007 Bookbinding training, with Rosemarie Jeffers-Palmer, Sydney
2011 Collage workshop with Christine Willcocks, Byron Bay
2013 Studio photography workshop with Caroline Fisher, Byron Bay
2016 Ceramics short course at Lismore TAFE - with Ruth Park
2017 St Ives School of Painting - Painting workshop - St Ives, Cornwall, UK
2018 Modelling the figure from life - workshop with Phillip Piperides, Gold Coast.
2019 Ceramics short course at Byron School of Clay, with Nick Bird, Byron Bay
2020 Damien Lucas - stone carving workshop, Byron Bay
Links
Lismore Quad - Together Alone
https://lismorequad.org.au/cp_themes/default/page.asp?p=DOC-UNY-56-40-22
Responsible Wood - Article
https://www.responsiblewood.org.au/meet-the-passionate-artist-using-recycled-timber-to-bring-a-community-together/
Please click the link below to see or follow my Instagram feed
http://instagram.com/davehickson1
TAFE NSW Creative Industries
https://www.tafensw.edu.au/