Biography
Paul Kalemba. Born 1980. MEL. AU
Paul Kalemba is a first generation Australian artist with a broad and inquisitive practice ranging from painting, photography and video to sculpture, assemblage and intervention.
Paul’s work often combines in-situ documentation and collected objects to recreate memories and ethereal perceptions in responses to transcendental experiences within nature and with objects.
Paul’s practice employs many traditional and contemporary processes, often in combination, as it muses on the discordant knowledge presented by natural science, myth and phenomena while telling stories of ecologies and place.
Since graduating with Honours in Digital art and Multimedia from Victoria University in 2001 and Master of Visual Art at Victorian College of the Arts in 2008 , Paul has exhibited in Australia, Korea, Germany, Finland and Iceland. He has been a finalist in the Paul Guest Prize at The Bendigo Art Gallery , The Nillubik Award at Montsalvat, The Banjule Award for Works on Paper, The Wyndham Art Award and the National Still Life award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. In 2018 he was the recipient of the Hume Art Award.
Paul has undertaken cross disciplinary projects with Parks Victoria and The Department of Primary Industries, and received project funding form The Australia Council for the Arts, City of Melbourne, Nillumbik Shire, Hepburn Shire and the Kone Foundation.
He has attended several residencies at SIM with The Icelandic Association for the Visual Arts in 2018 and 2019, and was awarded the Riverbend Residency from Nillubik shire in 2011 and the Saari Residence from the Kone Foundation in 2019.
Paul has produced temporary public artworks for The Kone Foundation, City of Melbourne, Hepburn Shire, and permanent public artwork for the City of Hume and Satterly Development. His drawings, sculpture and mural work have been acquired by Nillumbik shire, Hume City Council and Victoria University.
EDUCATION
2008 Masters of Visual Art. Melbourne University, Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne.
2007 Graduate Diploma in Visual Art. Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne.
2001 Honours, Digital Art and Multimedia. Victoria University, Melbourne
1998- 2000 B.A. Computer Mediated Art, Victoria University, Melbourne.
AWARDS / PRIZES
2019
Wyndham Art Award. Finalist.
Banjule Award for Works on Paper. Finalist.
2018
Hume Art Award. 1st Prize, Artist over 30.
Still; National Still-Life Award. Coffs Harbor Regional Gallery. Finalist.
Paul Guest Drawing Prize. Bendigo Art Gallery. Finalist.
2017
The NHMRC Science to Art Award. Finalist.
Banyule Award for Works on Paper. Finalist.
The Nillumbik Prize. Finalist.
Wyndham Art Award. Finalist.
2013
Wetland Care Australia Art Award. Second Prize.
2012
M16 Drawing Prize. Finalist
COMMISSIONS
2020 True North Public Art Commission. Satterley Land Development, Atkin Hill. Victoria.
2019 Koivun Louhi. Temporary Public Artwork Commission. KONE Foundation, Saari Mansion. Mynämäki, Finland
2016 Main St Redevelopment; Community Public Art Commission: Nillumbik Shire Council.
2015 Hepburn Public Art Commission. Resistance of Memory- Tales of Daylesford.
2014 Let Them Eat Cake. Living sculpture Commission. Werribee Mansion.
2012 The Living Sculpture Commission. CERES Environment Park.
2010 Feasting Vignettes. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival . Platform Underground garden. Melbourne.
GRANTS
2020 Art in the Time of COVID-19, Nillumbik Arts Commission. Nillumbik Shire Council
2019 Working Grant. Landvaettir in the Anthropocence. KONE Foundation
2011 Artstart; Professional Development Grant. Australia Council for the Arts.
2003 City of Melbourne, Major Project Grant, Alleys Not Telleys, Public Multi-Arts Festival.
RESIDENCIES.
2018
Icelandic notes for the Weltgeist. SIM (Icelandic Association for the Visual Arts) Artist in Residence. Reykjavik, Iceland.
2012
Hutten Pallast, Artist in Residence, Berlin. Germany
2011
The Symbiogenisis project: “Laughing Waters”.Laughing Waters Artist-in-Residence Program. Riverbend. Art/Science-Ecology Collaboration with Aviva Reed, Nillumbik Shire Council and Parks Victoria.
COLLECTIONS
Hume City Council Public Art Collection
Hepburn Shire.
Nillimbik Art Collection
Nillumbik Shire Public Art Collection.
Wetland Care Australia.
Australian Forest and Climate Alliance.
CERES Environment Park.
Hutenpalast, Neukolin, Berlin. Germany.
Victoria University. Melbourne.
Salesian College Rupperswood,
Private Collections.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS.
2023
Sticks and Stones. Broadmeadows Town Hall Gallery. Melbourne. AU (forthcoming)
2022
Sticks and Stones. Airspace Projects, Sydney AU.
2018
Notes for the Weltgeist. Kosminen Artspace, Helsinki, FI.
Landvaettir. At Current Artspace. Melbourne, AU.
Some Things Cannot Be Undone. Rubicon ARI. Melbourne, AU
2012
Der Junge aus der Dose (Boy Out of a Can). Hutenpalast. Berlin, DE.
2010
Spoiled Rotten. Platform Public Contemporary Art Spaces. Melbourne. AU
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021
Every Artist Ever. Stockroom. Kyneton
Art in the Time of COVID-19. Monsalvat Art Centre. Melbourne.
Summer Salon. Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne
Antipodes. Beinart Gallery, Melbourne
2020
Assemblage Theory; Circling the Compass. Collaborative Intervention. Royal Park, Melbourne
2019
Enough Light to Navigate. Sim House. Reykjavik. Iceland.
Koneen Säätiö, Open Day. KONE Foundation. Finland
Wyndham Art Award. Wyndham Cultural Centre.
Banjule Award For Works on Paper. Hatch Contemporary Art Space.
2018
Paul Guest Prize. Bendigo Art Gallery. Bendigo Victoria.
The Hume Art Award. Boilerhouse Gallery. Melbourne
Flock and Fold. Icelandic Association for the Visual Arts. Reykjavik, Iceland.
2CDHKM2NPS. SIM Gallery. Reykjavik, Iceland.
Still; National Still-Life Award. Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.
2017
The NHMRC Science to Art Award. St Vincents Public Gallery.
Banyule Award for Works on Paper. Hatch Contemporary Art Space.
The Nillumbik Prize. Montsalvat Gallery. Eltham.
Wyndham Art Award, Wyndham Cultural Centre, Werribee.
Mixed Tape, Stockroom, Kyneton.
2016
Fragments, Bakery Lane Gallery, Woodend.
Linden Postcard Show. Linden New Art. St Kilda. Melbourne.
Symbiogenisis Mural, Nillumbik Shire Council. Main St Redevelopment Eltham.
Laughing Waters Rd. The Barn Gallery, Monsilvat. Eltham.
2015.
The Resistance of Memory, Tales of Daylesford. Daylesford Town Hall. Hepburn.
Thyme for Change. Let Them Eat Cake Festival, Werribee Mansion.
2014.
Tree. Dromkeen. Riddels Creek. Victoria.
Activist Arts Festival. Trades Hall. Melbourne.
A Matter of Thyme. Falls Festival/ Village Stage. Lorne.Victoria.
2013
Outpost. Daylesford Post office. Daylesford. Victoria
Station Master. Brunswick station. MoreArts. Melbourne.
LAND. Wyndham Cultural Centre. Melbourne.
Weld Echo, The Long Gallery. Hobart.
Wetland Care Australia Award. Sydney.
2012
M16 Drawing prize. Canberra. M16 Artspace. Canberra.
The Symbiogenisis Project. Eltham Library. Melbourne.
The Artists Behind the Action. Collingwood Gallery. Melbourne.
The Boy Out of a Can. Hutenpalast. Berlin. Germany.
2011
The Symbiogenisis Project. “Laughing waters” The Melbourne Library. Melbourne.
Northside Heros, Tinning Street Gallery. Melbourne.
2010
Spoiled Rotten. Platform Public Contemporary Art Spaces. Melbourne
Feasting Vignettes. Melbourne Food and Wine Festival / Platform Underground garden, Melbourne.
Sustainability: Crisis or Opportunity, George Paton Gallery, Carlton.
The Sustainable Living Festival, Federation Square, Melbourne
The Resistance of Memory, Platform Public Contemporary Art Spaces. Melbourne
Linden Postcard Exhibition, Linden Contemporary Art Gallery, St Kilda, Melbourne.
2009
Off The Wall, Brunswick Bound, Brunswick, Melbourne
Post. Place Gallery, Richmond
Resisting Subversion of Subversive Resistance. Platform Artist Group. Inc. Flinders Street Station underpass, Melbourne.
The Art of Sustainable Gardening, Bollin Bollin Gallery, Bulleen, Melbourne.
2008
Diorama December, Brunswick Bound Gallery, Brunswick, Melbourne.
VCA Graduate Exhibition, VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery, South Melbourne
Exquisite Features, Tapespace, Carlton, Melbourne.
Beneath The Empire, Upstairs- Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne.
Linden Postcard Exhibition, Linden Contemporary Art Gallery, St Kilda, Melbourne.
2007
VCA Graduate Exhibition, VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery, South Melbourne.
Proud, VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery, South Melbourne.
Sketchbooks: A Group Show. Brunswick Bound Gallery, Brunswick, Melbourne
A Disparate Collection, VCA Student Gallery, South Melbourne.
2006
Breakdown Press, Breakdown Posters Launch, A Space Outside, Abbotsford, Melbourne.
Art For Food! Lentil as Africa, Bar/ Café/ Gallery, Brunswick, Melbourne.
Random Molecules, Kick Gallery, Northcote, Melbourne.
2005
Babylonian Pandemonium, Black Cat, Melbourne.
Linden Postcard Exhibition, Linden Contemporary Art Gallery, St Kilda, Melbourne.
2004
National Print Symposium, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
The Conceptual Reconstruction of Brunswick, Counihan Gallery, Brunswick, Melbourne.
Scarab window; street projections project, Black Cat/ Sutton Gallery. Fitzroy, Melbourne.
Eyes for Other Skies, Australian Center for the Moving Image, Melbourne.
Eyes For Other Skies – best of, Seoul Fringe festival, Korea
Nikon Summer Salon, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy Melbourne.
Empty Show. abandoned space. Fitzroy Melbourne.
2003
Empty Show. abandoned space. Newcastle
disenta. . . , Irene Community Art Centre, Brunswick, Melbourne.
Melbourne Stencil Festival, Nth Melbourne.
Nikon Summer Salon, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy, Melbourne.
2002
With Only The Clothes On Their Backs, Refugee Benefit/ Art Auction, Dantes Upstairs, Fitzroy Melbourne.
windows, Scott Alley, Melbourne.
Nikon Summer Salon, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy Melbourne.
“@”, Steps Gallery, Carlton Melbourne.
2001
On exit frame, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne.
Nikon Summer Salon, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
2016 Laughing Waters Road: Art, Landscape and Memory in Eltham. Jane Wollard. 2016 p38,39,239-241.
2015 Public Art Creates Discussion. The Advocate. January 16. P1
2014 Art commission for Daylesford laneway, The Advocate. July 29. P1
2010 Feast your eyes on this, Rachelle Unreich, The Age. March 14,
2009 Building an Australasian Commons, Rachel Cobcroft, Queensland University of Technology Press. 2009 p103
Resisting Subversion of Subversive Resistance, Leon Goh, Un Magazine. July 2009, P74.
2008 Beneath the Empire, Lucy Elliot, Melbourne City Voice, 24 April 2008, P14
Art Matters, Lucy Elliot, Melbourne City Voice ,8 May 2008, P23.
2007 Spotlight on Student’s Art. Melissa Buttigieg, Fairfax Community Network; Sunbury Telegraph, 27 November, P6.
2006 Breakdown Posters, Tom Sevil, Breakdown Press, P3, 18.
2004 The Undergrowth. Tim Parish, Undergrowth. 30 July. P1, 26,29.
2002 February .02, Centre for Contemporary Photography. P3
2000 Hi-tech form focus, Ted Kloszynski, The Advocate, 21 November. P1.
TRAINING, WORKSHOPS & TUITION.
2018. Bendigo Art Gallery. Paul Guest Prize, Public Program. Still Life Totems Workshops.
2017. Monash University. Caulfield.Technical Officer: Technician for Art Design and Architecture
2017. Hume Global Learning Centre. Still-Life Workshop Series.
2015. Daylesford Life Drawing. Facilitator and Tutor.
2014. Arthouse Direct. Dynamic Drawing and Watercolour short Courses.
2013. Melbourne High school. Workshop Facilitator. Advanced Animation & Games Design..
2011-2012 Caulfield Grammar. Workshop Facilitator. Introduction to Film Making and Animation.
2011. Nillumbik Shire Council. Workshop Facilitator. Art of Ecology. Eltham, VIC
2011. Outback Theatre for Young People.Workshop Facilitator. Pop-art, Street art and Stencils. Hay, NSW.