Chelsea Lehmann is a painter who lives and works on Gadigal land (Sydney). Lehmann has an exhibition history spanning two decades, and has received numerous awards, grants, and international residencies. Her current work explores the representation of the human body, specifically focusing on its fragmentation and evolving meanings in the 21st century. The surfaces of Lehmann’s painting frequently employ a palimpsest of painted layers, allowing earlier traces of work to remain visible. Utilising dramatic formal contrasts and painterly gesture, Lehmann emphasises the performativity and artifice of Baroque and surrealist bodies, echoing the way Western art has traditionally grafted constructs of feminine identity onto the illusions of representation itself. Lehmann’s work offers creative interventions which ‘undo’ these constructs by imaging the the female form in conflict with painting’s weighty history and stable surfaces. Lehmann holds a PhD from UNSW Art & Design (2019).
EDUCATION
2019 PhD, UNSW Art & Design
2004-07 Master of Fine Arts (Research), College of Fine Art, University of New South Wales
1995-98 Bachelor of Visual Art (Hons), Adelaide Central School of Art, South Australia
1994 Certificate, Visual Art Practice, North Adelaide School of Art, South Australia
SELECTED SOLO/TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 Counter Histories (with Chris Aerfeldt, France) Praxis Artspace, Adelaide, SA
2020 Corporealities, Home @ 735, Sydney
2020 Persona, Flinders Street Gallery, Sydney
2018 The Articulate Surface, UNSW Galleries, Sydney
2016 Archive, MOP Projects, Sydney
2016 Efface (collaboration with Luke Thurgate) Strange Neighbour, Vic
2015 The Original of Laura, Interlude Gallery, Sydney
2014 Contested Surfaces, SAS Gallery, Sydney
2011 Mise en Scène, Greenaway Gallery, SA
2011 La Chasse, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2010 Time is Then, Adelaide Central Gallery, SA
2007 Nabokov’s Garden, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2006 Sample Locations, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2003 Lehmann/Graham (with Damien Graham), Adelaide Central Gallery, SA
2002 Shadow, Depot Gallery, Sydney
2002 Shadow [Preview] , Cube Contemporary Art, Bowden SA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Not Fair (curated by Darren Tanny Tan & Linsey Gosper), Melbourne, Vic (selected)
2023 Gesture (curated by Michelle Chanique), Stanley Street Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2023 Horny Jail, NASHA gallery, Sydney, NSW
2023 A Female Gaze, MARS gallery, Melbourne, Vic
2022 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award, Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW (finalist)
2022 Group exhibition (online), GAG Projects, Adelaide, SA
2022 Substratum (curated by Lewellyn Riley-Haynes), Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, NSW
2019 June, MARS Gallery, Vic
2018 The Drawing Exchange, Rayner Hoff Gallery, National Art School, Sydney
2018 2018 Invitational, Home@735 Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2018 Bad Mannerism, Galerie pompom, Sydney (curator)
2017 FRAN Fest (Feminism Renewal Art Network) exhibition, BMG Gallery, Adelaide, SA
2016 Painting Twice, Praxis ArtSpace, SA
2016 Kennedy Art Prize Exhibition, Adelaide SA (finalist)
2016 PG Research Conference exhibition, AD Space, UNSW Art & Design
2016 Tim Olsen Drawing Prize exhibition, Kudos Gallery, UNSW Art & Design (selected)
2015 PG Research Conference exhibition, IDG gallery, UNSW Art & Design
2015 Tim Olsen Drawing Prize exhibition, Kudos Gallery, UNSW Art & Design (selected)
2015 Drawing Now, AD Space, UNSW Art & Design
2015 Iconoclasts, Airspace Projects, NSW
2014 Telling, Adelaide Central Gallery, SA
2014 Through the mirror ball, BMG Gallery, Adelaide SA
2014 Monochrome, Sheffer Gallery, Sydney
2014 The Democracy of Drawing, Airspace Projects, Sydney
2013 Green-growth International Art Exhibition, Incheon Art and Culture Centre, Incheon, Korea
2013 Portia Geach Memorial Award exhibition, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney (finalist)
2013 Drawing Now, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Sydney
2012 Portia Geach Memorial Award exhibition, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney (finalist)
2012 nVisage, Adelaide Central Gallery, SA
2011 Lethbridge Small Painting Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, QLD (finalist)
2010 Advertiser Business SA Contemporary Art Prize Exhibition, Advertiser building, SA (finalist)
2009 Whyalla Art Prize exhibition, Whyalla, SA (finalist)
2008 FLESH 08, Arthouse gallery, Sydney
2007 Shades of the Real, Adelaide Central Gallery, SA
2007 Portia Geach Memorial Award exhibition, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney (finalist)
2006 Westpac Redlands Art Prize exhibition, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney (selected)
2006 Drawcard, National Art School, Sydney
2006 Swan Hill Print and Drawing Acquisitive Award, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery (finalist)
2006 Group Exhibition, Mori Gallery, Sydney
2006 The Colour of Saffron, SASA gallery, Adelaide
2005 SODA Small Painting Prize, Sydney (finalist)
2005 Elastic, COFA Student Association Emerging Art Award (finalist)
2004 Freudian Slip, BMG Gallery, Adelaide, SA
2004 Drawing Today, Adelaide Central Gallery (selected for touring exhibition, SA)
2004 FLESH, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2004 Barcelona Room and Other Spaces, Greenaway Art Gallery, SA (collaboration with Jonathan Dady)
2004 Universal Playground Exhibition, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide
2004 MCQ International Art Prize exhibition, Sydney (finalist)
2003 Kedumba Drawing Award Exhibition, Wentworth Falls NSW (finalist)
2003 Group Exhibition, Kendalls Fine Art, Chelsea Gallery, London
2002 Steinhoff Scholarship Exhibition, Fleurieu Biennale, McLaren Vale, SA (finalist)
2002 Cube Contemporary Art at the Contemporary Art Fair, Melbourne
1999 Student Exhibition: Mackintosh Gallery, Glasgow School of Art, Scotland
1999 Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition, Gerard & Goodman Building, SA (selected)
1998 The Nexus Fleurieu Scholarship Exhibition, McLaren Vale, SA (finalist)
1998 Ruth Tuck Scholarship Award Exhibition, Greenhill Galleries, Adelaide (winner)
AWARDS, GRANTS and RESIDENCIES
2021 Academic Staff Development Grant, National Art School, Sydney
2018 Art and Design Grant (Arc UNSW)
2016 PRSS Conference Travel Grant, Graduate Research School, UNSW
2016 Research funding, Ide Advanced Imaging Lab, Kyoto University, Japan
2015 Research funding, Ide Advanced Imaging Lab, Kyoto University, Japan
2015 Faculty Student Travel Grant UNSW Art & Design
2015 NSW Artists Grant
2014 COFA Art and Design Grant
2014 -2017 Australian Postgraduate Award, UNSW
2010 Résidence copiste, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris
2010 Independent Makers and Presenters Project Grant, Arts SA
2010 Project Grant, Helpmann Academy, SA
2009 Recipient, Reunion Island ADCNI Biennale Residency (not undertaken)
2008 Listed, ‘50 Most Collectable Artists’ Australian Art Collector Magazine
2007 Artist in residence, Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery, SA
2007 NAVA Marketing Grant, NSW
2005 Recipient, Sanskriti Kendra Residency (Helpmann Academy), New Delhi, India
2003 Artist in residence, Pembroke High School, Adelaide
2002 Artist in residence, St Ignatius College, Adelaide
1999 Visiting student: BA Fine Art (Hons) Glasgow School of Art, Scotland
1998 Selected, Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition (merit-based selection, highest achieving graduates)
1998 Ruth Tuck Scholarship Award (Glasgow School of Art)
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
Painting Desires, Schmick Contemporary, April 2023
Bad Mannerism, Galerie pompom, May 2018
Iconoclasts, Airspace Projects, Sydney, February, 2015
Telling, Adelaide Central Gallery, SA, SALA Festival Exhibition, 22 July–19 August, 2014
SELECTED REVIEWS/PUBLICATIONS
Aksman-Glosz, James, 'An echo of how we live'; review of exhibition ‘The Original of Laura’ (online), 19 August 2015
Adelaide Central School of Art, education feature: Chelsea Lehmann, The Adelaide Review, Dec 2014
Art Interview, SALA Festival, Radio 5MV, ABC Riverland SA, 20 August 2002
'Bad Mannerism', Sydney Morning Herald, (The shortlist), 4 May 2018
Bull, Chris,’ Exploring the interaction between realism and painterly expression’, Update magazine, Issue no.69, Sept–Nov 2010
‘Different View’, Adelaide Matters (digital edition), 27 October 2011
'Chris Aerfeldt and Chelsea Lehmann: Counter Histories', Australian Art Collector (online) November 2021
Dutkiewicz Adam, 'Different Strokes', The Advertiser, November 5th 2003
Dutkiewicz, Adam, ‘So Long Bugs Bunny, Hello South Park’, The Advertiser, 22 July 2002
Fortescue, Elizabeth, ‘Thief had his eye on Fine Art’, The Daily Telegraph, 23 September 2011
Frost, Andrew, 'Chelsea Lehmann: Persona' Art Collector Magazine, April-June 2020
Gearon, Sally, ‘The women painters looking through the female gaze’, March/April print edition of Art Guide Australia, 2023.
'Group Exhibition: Christian Lock, Johnnie Dady and Chelsea Lehmann', Australian Art Collector (web) Oct 17th 2011
McDonald, Rosa Stella, 'Raining on the inside', catalogue text accompanying exhibition 'Archive', MOP projects, 2016
Lloyd, Tim, ‘Playground of Paint’, The Advertiser, 26 February 2004
McDonald, Patrick, ‘The Very Highest Art Form’, The Advertiser, 26 July 2003
Neylon, John, ‘Little Gems’, Adelaide Review, 16 July 1999
Neylon, John, ‘The Sentiment Is Bittersweet’, Adelaide Review, 15 November 2003
Nunn, Louise, ‘Chelsea in a small world after all’, The Advertiser, 5 July 2010
Nunn, Louise, ‘Interview’, Weekend Magazine, The Advertiser, 3 August 2003
Rackham, Melinda, 'Regarding the Gaze' essay for exhibition catalogue, Praxis ARTSPACE, Nov 2021
Taylor, Rod, Chelsea Lehmann: La Chasse, exhibition catalogue, 2011
Walker, Wendy, ‘The Young Figure It Out’, The Advertiser, 29 July 2000
Walker, Wendy and Dutkiewicz, Adam, ‘Galleries Come Alive’, The Advertiser, 18 August 2001
COLLECTIONS
Private collection of director Claude d’Anthenaise, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris
Ide Advanced Imaging Lab, Kyoto university, Japan
Private collections in Australia, France and London
Writing/Research: http://chelsealehmann.wordpress.com/