Minka Gillian has been a practicing artist for over 25 years. She is a multi-disciplinary artist working in sculpture, installation, painting, drawing and public sculpture. She has had over 12 solo exhibitions and has been in numerous group shows around Australia. She received a Highly Commended in the Gosford Art Prize and Commended in the Black town art prize. Her work is in the Artbank collection and in the Qt Hotel in Auckland. Gillian grew up and went to art school in Tasmania over 24 years ago. Since then, she has lived in Japan and Sydney. She currently lives and works in The Central Coast, NSW.

Gillian crafts captivating biomorphic sculptures from woven and found materials, infusing the everyday into the extraordinary. Her painted portraits of these sculptures captivate their essence and vitality. Referencing nature and human anatomy and pattern, she plans to delve into her ancestral Tasmanian convict and free settler ties during this residency. Through daily walks, research, and introspection, she’ll craft self-portraits that intertwine her heritage and the land’s energy. Found objects from her daily walks will meld a sense of place in her creations.