antonia.sellbach@gmail.com
Antonia Sellbach is an abstract artist working in the expanded fields of painting and sculpture, based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.
Her work explores the serial nature of sets of modular geometric paintings and sculptures which are designed to be arranged in a variety of permutations. Sellbach's research practice explores the generative links between working both serially, open-endedly and with constraints, her PhD, ‘Productive Limitation: Painting Emergent Abstract Languages through Serial Form' explored these ideas in connection to processes of art-making, and the theorists Derrida, Grosz and Wittgenstein and their respective notions of erasure, de-binarized space, the in-between, and language games. Another research interest is the social and communicative potentials of abstract forms and objects.
She has worked as a Creative Arts Lecturer at Melbourne Polytechnic and RMIT. Sellbach is represented by Nicholas Thompson Gallery in Melbourne and her work is held in private and institutional collections both in Australia and overseas (Latrobe Art Collection, RMIT Collection, Art Bank). She is a member of CAST Contemporary Art and Social Transformation research group at RMIT.
Education
2013-2019
PhD, ‘Productive Limitation: Painting Emergent Abstract Languages through Serial Form'. Fine Art, Inveresk, UTAS (via distance). Supervisors- Dr Karen Hall (UTAS), adjunct supervision- Prof Stephen Loo (UNSW) and Prof Marie Sierra (UNSW)
2008-2011
MA, Research, ‘Tessellation: Exploring Pathways and Partitions’, RMIT University
2003-2007
BA, Fine Art (1st Class Hons), Drawing, RMIT University
2001-2002
Dip Visual Art, RMIT
Solo Exhibitions:
'Through the Ellipse: Antonia Sellbach', Schoolhouse Studios, Coburg, 2022
'To Build and Dismantle', Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Collingwood, 2021
Solo Exhibition, C3 Contemporary Art Space, Abbotsford (cancelled due to Covid-19)
'Productive Limitation: Painting Emergent Languages through Serial Form', SOCA, Launceston, 2019
'Frameworks', Nicholas Thompson, Collingwood, 2019
'Antonia Sellbach' NKN, Richmond, 2018
'Open Fields', Heide Museum of Modern Art, Sept 2016 - Feb 2017
'This, That, Here, There, Yes, No, Maybe', BUS Projects, Collingwood, 2015
'Forms of Life', Daine Singer, 2015
'Unstable Objects and Other Paintings', C3 Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne 2014
'Part and Piece', Mr Kitly, Melbourne 2012
'Impossible Prisms', Faculty Gallery, RMIT 2011
'Tessellation: Exploring Pathways and Partitions', Gossard Project Space, RMIT, 2011
'Structure Patterns', Bus Gallery 2010
Selected Group Exhibitions:
'Of Colour and Light: Women in Abstraction', West End Art Space, West Melbourne 2021
'West Space: Fundraiser', West Space, Melbourne 2020
'Drawing Folio 3: Abstraction', curated by Justin Andrews and John Nixon, Block Projects, Melbourne, 2019
'Melbourne Modern: European Art and Design at RMIT since 1945' curated by Jane Eckett and Harriet Edquist, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne 2019
'M-othering the Perceptual Ars Poetica', curated by Antonia Sellbach and Abbra Kotlarczyk, Counihan Gallery, Brunswick, 2019
'The Grammar of Glitch' curated by Kent Wilson, Latrobe Institute of Art, Bendigo, 2018
'Freedom As' a project by Liquid Architecture, VCA and Grainger Museum, as part of Nite Art, curated by Mino Peric, Grainger Museum, Parkville, 2017
'Perceptual Abstraction', The Honeymoon Suite, 2017
'Group Formalism', curated by Jeremy Gales, Bundoora Homestead, Bundoora, 2017
'Project 17' Anna Pappas Gallery, Prahran, 2017
'Faux Fair', C3 Contemporary Art Space, 2016
'Elastic Field', curated by Laura Skerlj, Strange Neighbour, Melbourne, 2016
'AAANZ GeoCritical Exhibition', Sawtooth ARI, Launceston, 2014
'Un Educated', curated by Kym Maxwell, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne, 2014
'Tangible', curated by Louise Blyton and Ian Wells, Trocadero Artspace, 2014
'Wired for Melbourne Sound', National Gallery of Victoria, 2013
'Small Protests Against Forgetting', SVPA Gallery, University of Tasmania ,2013
'Frames of Reference', curated by Irene Barberis and Wilma Tobacco, Langford 120, Melbourne 2012
'Understanding Infinity', Kings ARI, Melbourne 2012
'GROUPWORK 001: Something to hold onto', Mr Kitly, Melbourne 2012
'House me with a Geometric Quality', Platform, Melbourne, 2011
'Cluster and Connect', curated by Helen Hughes and Genevieve Osbourne, Sutton Project Sapce, Melbourne, 2010
Siemens Scholarship, RMIT Gallery, Storey Hall, Melbourne 2010
Residencies:
In progress- Fundere Foundry Artist / Sculpture Co Residency, Sunshine 2022-23
Salamanca Artist in Residency, Antonia Sellbach and Anthea Caddy 'Sound Structures', (supported by Creative Victoria) Battery Point, Hobart 2022
Merri-Bek Council Artist in Residency Program, Fitzroy Stretches, Brunswick 2021
Workshop delivery:
'Studio Dax: Antonia Sellbach', (online) Dax Centre, Melbourne, 2020
'Geo Forms' (in support of The Field Revisited), National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2018
'Colour Play' 2, Children's workshop, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen, 2017
'Colour Play' 1, Children's workshop, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Bulleen, 2016
Zine making workshop, LISTEN Conference, Northcote Town Hall, Melbourne, 2016
Artist talks:
'Antonia Sellbach and Fleur Summers in conversation', for 'Melbourne Modern: European Art and Design at RMIT since 1945' RMIT Gallery, 2019
'Antonia Sellbach: Open Fields' with curator, Linda Short, Heide Museum of Modern Art, 2017
Publications (of, or about):
Forthcoming in 2020- Drinkall, J Hill, P ‘Extinction Training and Psychic Work for Neganthropocene: Strategies of Erasure and Dematerialisation’, in Postmodernism and Narratives of Erasure in Culture, Literature and Language, ed. Hassen Zriba, IGI Global, 2020
'Legacies' book chapter by Jane Eckett in Melbourne Modern: Art and Design at RMIT since 1945, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne 2019
'The Target is Man: Udo Sellbach at RMIT' book chapter by Sarah Scott, in Melbourne Modern: Art and Design at RMIT since 1945, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 2019
'(FRAME. MID. CRUX) - Frame Works by Antonia Sellbach' essay by Abbra Kotlarczyk for Nicholas Thompson, 2019
'Antonia Sellbach: Frame Works', Australian Art Collector, review by Rex Butler, 2019
'Antonia Sellbach, New Works', essay by Steven Cox for NKN 2018
'Antonia Sellbach:Open Fields', exhibition catalogue and essay by Linda Short (curator), Heide Museum of Modern Art, 2016
'Forms of Life', review by Maura Edmond, Primer Magazine, Melbourne, 2015
'Words Don't Mean Anything', by Andrew McQualter, 'Forms of Life' exhibition essay, for Daine Singer 2015
'Antonia Sellbach- Forms of Life' review by Dan Rule, The Saturday Age, 2015
'Un Educated', Kym Maxwell, 2014
'Protests Against Forgetting', Stephen Loo, 2012
'Cluster and Connect' by Helen Hughes and Genevieve Osbourne, 2010
‘Antonia Sellbach- Wall Combination #22: an archival investigation’ by Phoebe Ross Melbourne 2010
'Australian Barbecue', Simone Tempia, Vogue Italia, Arts section, 2008
Research publications:
'Productive Limitation: Painting Emergent Abstract Languages through Serial Form', University of Tasmania, 2019
'Tessellation: Exploring pathways and partitions', Antonia Sellbach, RMIT research repository, 2011
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Contact the artist: antonia.sellbach@gmail.com
