Born in 1975, Sydney, Australia. She lives and works in Paris, France.
Education
Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, Australia
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Sydney, Australia
Master of Fine Arts in Research, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Solo Exhibitions
2020
Centre of the Centre, UQ Art Museum, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
2019
Centre of the Centre, Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
Centre of the Centre, Artspace, Sydney, Australia2018
Primary/ Secondary Score, Barangaroo & Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia
2017
Dangerous On The Way, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
Mel O’Callaghan: Ensemble, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne, Australia
En Masse, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
L’acte Gratuit, Kronenberg Mais Wright, Sydney, Australia2015
Dangerous Looking Back, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, Lisbon, Portugal
2014
Time to Act, Casa-Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Lisbon, Portugal
Ensemble, First Street Green, New York, USA
L’acte gratuit, Galerie Allen, Paris, France2013
Ensemble, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, Lisbon, Portugal
2012
Move, Casa-Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Lisbon, Portugal
Endgame, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, Lisbon, Portugal2011
Each Mineral Flake Of That Night Filled Mountain, Grantpirrie Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2010
Each Atom Of That Stone, Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney, Australia
2008
Topsy Turvy, Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney, Australia
2007
Landslide, Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
2006
The Fall, Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
2005
Somewhere, Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
Somewhere, Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia2004
The Fall, Salles E.M. Sandoz M. David-Weill, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
The Fall, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, Australia2003
In The Half Light, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia
2002
The Fly and the Mountain, The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Sydney, Australia
On This Day It Was Cold, Room 35 Gallery, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
We Had Walked All Day, Department of Public Works, Sydney, Australia2001
Vagari, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Prague, Czech Republic
Today We Looked At Walls, Sherman Galleries Hargrave, Sydney, Australia
Mel + Nell, Room Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands2000
Nell + Mel, Städtische Galerie, Amsterdam and Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1999
Nell + Mel, Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1998
Mel + Nell, Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Lot, Cbd, Sydney, Australia1997
Illume, 1st FLOOR, Melbourne, Australia
1996
Automate, Firstdraft, Sydney, Australia
Selected Group Expositions
2019
What Lies Within: Centre of the Centre, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila, Philippines
Some of Us, Kunstwerk Carlshutte, Budelsdorf, Germany
Yo-Chang Art Museum, National Taiwan University of Arts2018
Museo D’Art Contemporanea Di Roma (MACRO), Rome, Italy
Vertiges, Lab-Labanque, Béthune, France
International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Kronenberg W
right, Sydney, Australia
ARCO Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal2017
Lock/Route, Gillman Barracks, Singapore
L’Eternité par les astres, Centre d’art Contemporain Les Tanneries, Amilly, France
Prix Meurice pour l’art contemporain, Hôtel Meurice, Paris, France
Galerie Allen, Arco Madrid, Spain
Kronenberg W
right, Sydney Contemporary, Australia2016
L’art de la révolte (The Art of Revolt), Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre Pompidou, Paris et Malaga, Spain
Museum as Performance, Museu de Serralves, Porto, Portugal
Nuit Blanche, Place Dauphine, Paris, France
Do Disturb, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
J’ai Rêvé Le Goût De La Brique Pilée, La Borne : Centre céramique contemporaine, Henrichemont, France2015
Demain dans la bataille pense à moi, IAC Institut d’art contemporain,Villeurbanne, France
Nature/ Revelation, The Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne, Australia
The Place of Disquiet, Third edition of A3bandas, F2 Galeria, Madrid, Spain
Les Drapeaux, Maison des Arts, Malakoff, Paris, France
Artissima Art Fair, Galerie Allen, Turin, Italy2014
19th Biennale of Sydney:You Imagine What You Desire, Australia
Festival Encontros da Imagem: Love Will Tear Us Apart, Lisbon, Portugal
Arcadian Reverie, White Night, Melbourne, Australia,
Sinonimos de Perfume, Galeria 102-100, Castelo Branco, Portugal
Paperworks, Belo-Galsterer Galeria, Lisbon, Portugal2013
Natura, Museu Nogueira da Silva, Braga, Portugal
Desire Lines, ACCA Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia
The Disorder of the Present Is the Order of the Future, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, Lisbon, Portugal2012
Livret IV, Musée d’Art Contemporain de Rochechouart, France
2011
The Rehearsal of Repetition, Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney Australia
Motion/Pictures, Gallery A.S., Paramount Pictures, Sydney, Australia
Event: New Moving Image Works, Artspace, Sydney, Australia2010
Dying in Spite of the Miraculous, Gurtrude Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne, Australia
La Main Numérique, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
La Main Numérique, Maison d’art Bernard Anthonioz, (FNAGP), Paris, France2009
Event: New Moving Image Works, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
2008
Fantasmata, Museo Ar/ge Kunst, Bolzano, Italy
Le Main Numérique, École Supérieure d’Art de l’Agglomération d’Annecy, France2007
Hamsterwheel, Le Printemps de Septembre, Toulouse & Centre d’Art Santa Mònica (CASM), Barcelona, Spain
Vergäleibhaftig, Kunstverein Konstanz & Kunstmuseum Ravensburg, Germany
Vergänglichkeit, Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
Phases Of The Moon, Châtillon-sur-Marne, France
Sommerfrische Sehnsucht Nach Dem Paradies, Kunst:raum Sylt Quelle, Germany2006
Videoformes, Prix de la Création Vidéo, Clermont Ferrand, France
2005
National Sculpture Prize, National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
Videobrasil 05 15°, Festival de Arte Contemporânea Sesc Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil
Impakt 16th Impakt Festival, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Edinburgh International Film Festival, 59th Edinburgh International Film Festival, UK2004
Site (Unseen), Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia
A Cut Across, Plymsoll Gallery, University of Tasmania, Australia
That Was Now, This is Then, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia2003
Printroom, Witte de With, Centre for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Printroom, Gurtrude Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia
Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Award, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
Prizes, Grants and Residencies
2019
Aide de Projet, Fondation National des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (FNAGP)
2018
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant, Centre of the Centre
2017
Finalist, Prix Meurice pour l’art contemporain, France
Atelier, Nogent-sur-Marne, France - Fondation National des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (FNAGP)
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
Finalist, ACMI / Ian Potter Moving Image Commission
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant, Centre of the Centre2016
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant, Palais de Tokyo2015
Recipient, Prix SAM pour l’Art Contemporain, France
2014
Nominated for the Bernd Lohaus Prize, Belgium
Finalist, Kaldor Public Art Projects, Sydney, Australia
Australia Council for the Arts, Research and Development for new video piece in Borneo, Malaysia2013
Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient for 19th Biennale of Sydney
2012
Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient, Established Artist Category
2011
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2007
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2006
Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient, Established Artist Category
2005
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
National Sculpture Prize, Finalist, NGA National Gallery of Australia, Australia
Australian Film Commission, Australia2004
Cité Internationale des Arts, Art Gallery of New South Wales Artist Residency, Paris, France
2001
Centre For Contemporary Arts, Artist Residency, Prague, Czech Republic
Finalist, Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Award, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
University of Sydney, Dean’s Honours List, Sydney, Australia
Public Commissions
2018
Sydney Contemporary Commission, Carriageworks and Barangaroo, Sydney, Australia
2015
The Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2007
Attorney General’s Department., The Justice Precinct, Sydney, Australia
Public Collections
FRAC Bretagne / Fonds régional d’art contemporain Bretagne, France
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), USA
Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Monash University Museum of Modern Art (MUMA), Australia
Artbank, Australia
Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department, Australia
Bibliography
2018
Marie Chenel, Mel O’Callaghan, Artpress 2: Vertiges, Septembre 2018 p. 20-21
2017
Mel O’Callaghan, Artist Monograph, Palais de Tokyo, Sam Art Projects : Paris
Mara Hoberman, “Mel O’Callaghan - Galerie Allen / Palais de Tokyo”, Artforum, May Issue, 2017, p. 345
Greta Völler, “Mel O’Callaghan”, NGV Magazine, Nov/Dec 2017, Issue # 7
Melissa Loughnan, ed., Australiana to Zeitgeist (Thames & Hudson Australia, 2017), p. 21, 26 & 27
Isabelle Bernini, “Mel O’Callaghan, Dangerous on-the-way”, Artpress, April 2017
Valérie Duponchelle, “Les expositions à ne pas rater à Paris en 2017”, Le Figaro, January 2017, p.105 - 110
“Palais de Tokyo : Mel O’Callaghan, Dangerous on-the-way”, La Gazette du Druout, April 2017, p. 215
Alice Cavanagh, “Outside Herself, Mel O’Callaghan”, W Magazine, The Australian, March 2017, p. 29-30
Sabine Rittner, “Trance, Ecstasy And Altered States Of Consciousness”, in Mel O’Callaghan, Artist Monograph
Mel O’Callaghan, Dangerous on-the-way, Slash Paris, March 2017
Marie-Elisabeth de la Fresnaye, “Mel O’Callaghan”, Interview, Artaissme, #15, 2017, p. 4
Marie Cheron, “Les ateliers du Palais de Tokyo”, Lifestyle.Paris, March 2017
Mel O’Callaghan, Palais de Tokyo, News Art Today TV, February 2017 (television)
Mel O’Callaghan, “Dangerous on-the-way”, France Fine Art, February 2017
L’agenda de la semaine: Lâcher prise, AD Magazine, February 2017
“Mel O’Callaghan, “Dangerous on-the-way”, Art das KunstMagazine, February 2017
“Mel O’Callaghan | Retour d’expérience : La transe extatique pour le plus grand nombre”, Happening, Fevrier, 2017
Anaël Pigeat, Lucile Commeaux & Arnaud Laporte, “En toute chose”, France Culture, Fevrier, 2017
Thierry Hay, “Notre rapport à la Nature et aux objets: En toute chose”, France Info, February 2017
Anne-Lou Vicente, “Mel O’Callaghan”, Trois Couleurs, February 2017: Issue 148, p. 96
“Mel O’Callaghan: En Masse at Galerie Allen”, Paris, Blouin ArtInfo, January 2017
“Palais de Tokyo: Mel O’Callaghan, Dangerous on-the-way”, E-flux, January 2017
Fabiola Ondzounga, “Mel O’Callaghan, Dangerous on-the-way”, Artistik Rezo, January 2017
Eric Bietry-Rivierre & Valerie Dupenchelle, “Paris, l’art en capitale”, Le Figaro, January 2017, p. 26 - 27
“Mel O’Callaghan”, Madame Figaro, January 2017, p. 41
“SAM Arts Projects Palais du Tokyo : Mel O’Callaghan (lauréate du Prix SAM 2015)”, Trajectoire, January 20172016
Philippe Dagen, “Quand l’art bat le pavé”, Le Monde, 28 April, 2016
Orianne Hidalgo-Laurier, “Les rites de Mel O’Callaghan”, Mouvement, 25 January, 20162015
Joao Silverio, “Memory and Resistance”, catalogue essay, Dangerous Looking Back, Belo-Galsterer Galeria
Béatrice Cotte, “Prix Sam 2015 : Mel O’ Callaghan”, Follow Art With Me, 17 December, 20152014
Juliana Engberg, “You are what you imagine”, catalogue essay, 19th Biennale of Sydney
Nicole Elpnick, “My Secrect Sydney”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 March, 20142013
Love will Tear us Apart, exhibition catalogue, Encontros da Imagem, Porto, 2013, p. 142-143.
Alda Galsterer, “Natura. Paisagem e Natureza”, catalogue essay, Natura, Museum Nogueira da Silva, Braga, Portugal2012
Juliana Engberg, “Desire Lines”, catalogue essay, ACCA Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
Jack Cox et Alexandra Delage, “Les Languages Terrestres”, LIVRET IV, Musée de Rochechouart, France
Andrew Stephens, “The Path less travelled”, The Age, 15 December, 2012, p. 23.
Maura Edmond, “Desire Lines”, Time Out, December, 2012
Leonor Nunes, “Destaque”, Journal Deletras, nº 1100, November - December, 2012, p. 28.
Nuno Crespo, “O ar do tempo”, P2/Público Lisboa, 23 December, 2012, p. 8.
“Miguel Branco & Mel O’Callaghan”, Agenda Cultural Lisboa, Ed. Nov., 2012.
Anja Schneider, “The Rehearsal of Repetition”, Grantpirrie Gallery, Sydney, Australia2010
Dominique Païni, “La Main Numerique”, Maison d’art Bernard Anthonioz (MABA), Paris, France
Dominique Païni, “La Main Numerique”, National Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
Alexie Glass Kantor, “Ever Tried, Ever Failed”, Grantpirrie Gallery, 2010
Anja Isabel Schneider, “Mel O’Callaghan, Ever Tried, Ever Failed”, Grantpirrie, 20102009
Blair French, “Event: New Moving Image Works”, exhibition catalogue, Artspace Sydney, 2009
Blair French, “Event: Recalling The Cinematic”, Column publication, Sydney, 20092008
Alison Kubler, “Topsy Turvy - Mel O’Callaghan”, Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney, Australia
2007
Bénédicte Ramade,“Les Perdreaux De L’année En Liberté”, Artclair L’Oeil, n° 595, Octobre, 2007
Bérénice Bailly, “La Fugacite Decryptee Par Cinq Jeunes Artistes”, Le Monde, Saturday April 2007, p. 32
Emmanuelle Lequeux, “Mel O’Callaghan”, Le Monde, 29 September, 20072005
Alexie Glass Kantor, “Mel O’Callaghan, Space Travel”, Monument, April/May, 2005
Jens-Emil Sennewald, “Mel O’Callaghan in the Galerie SchleicherLange”, Notiert, Kunst-Bulletin, April 2005, p. 75
Bérénice Bailly, “Mel O’Callaghan, Somewhere”, Le Monde, Saturday 3 December 2005, p. 32
Beatrice Gralton, National Sculpure Prize, exhibition catalogue, National Gallery of Australia (NGA)
Laura Murray Cree, “Finding Nowhere, Mel O’Callaghan”, Somewhere, Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia
Solange Farkas, “New Vectors”, catalogue essay, 15º Internacional Electronic Arts Biennale Videobrasil, Brasil, 20052002
Alexi Glass Kantor, “The Fly And The Mountain - Mel O’Callaghan and Nell”, Monument, Issue 47. p.108
Jacqueline Millner, “The Fly And The Mountain”, catalogue essay, Art Gallery New South Wales, Australia
Jacqueline Millner, “The Fly And The Mountain”, Postwest Publication, March, 2002
Lenny Ann Low, “The Fly And The Mountain”, The Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 2-3 p.11, 2002
Alex Szczepaniak, “Conversation With Mel O’Callaghan”, Look, Art Gallery of New South Wales, February, 20022001
Victoria Hynes, “Weird Science”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22-28 June, 2001 p.22
Courtney Kidd, “On The Cutting Edge”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 June, 2001, p. 222000
Bruce James, “Mel - New Millenium Kinetics”, The Australian Art Collector, Jul -Sept p.140, 2000
Mark Jackson, “Awakening To The Dream”, Realtime Magazine, Aug-Sept p.48, 2000