Tamara Dean Australian, b. 1976
Tamara Dean is a critically acclaimed photo media artist working in photography, installation and moving image, her practice explores the relationship between humans and the environment. Her works aims to bridge the separate-ness that we as humans create in our minds between ourselves and nature.
Tamara has held multiple solo exhibitions and group exhibition highlights include the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art (2018), Tamara was also selected for the ArtOmi International Artists Residency in Upstate New York where she continued to win The New York photo awards (2013). Selected prizes include Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize (Winner 2019), Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award (Winner 2018), Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London (2016). Work has been exhibited at International art fairs including Sydney Contemporary (2015, 2017, 2019), Pingyao Photography Festival (2012, 2018, 2019). FotoLeggendo Rome (2013,2017), Auckland Art Fair (2016, 2018, 2019, Dehli Photo Festival, India (2013).
Tamara’s work is held in notable private and public collections including the National Gallery of Australia Collection, Canberra ACT; Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra ACT, Art Gallery of South Australia, Artbank, The Mordant Family Collection, Neil Balnaves Collection, Francis J. Greenburger Collection NYC, Tweed River Gallery, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Macquarie University Art Gallery, Newcastle Art Gallery.
Born: Sydney Australia, 1976
Lives and works: Australia
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 Endangered at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney
2019 Moving Image commission ‘Outside In’, 100 Mount St, Nth Sydney
2018 Endangered preview at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney
2018 Our Nature at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney
2017 Instinctual at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney
2017 Force of Nature at The Lost Ones Gallery, Ballarat
2016 About Face at Contemporaries, Sydney
2015 Here-and-Now immersive installation at Studio 1, Creative Practices Lab UNSW, Sydney
2014 The Edge at Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney
2012 Only Human at Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney
2011 Only Human at James Makin Gallery, Melbourne
2011 Only Human at John Paynter Gallery, Newcastle
2010 This too Shall Pass at Charles Hewitt Gallery, Sydney
2009 Ritualism at Charles Hewitt Gallery and ‘Colin, Biggers and Paisley’ Art Space, Sydney
2009 Divine Rites at Charles Hewitt Gallery, Sydney
BIENNIALS
2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
AWARDS, COMMISSIONS AND RESIDENCIES
2019 Winner, Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, Australia
2019 Highly Commended, Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art prize, Australia
2018 Winner, Josephine Ulrick & Win Shubert Photography Award, Australia
2018 Winner, Meroogal Women’s Art prize, Australia
2018 Finalist, Bowness Photography Prize, Australia
2018 Finalist, Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art prize, Australia
2017 National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist – National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2017 Finalist, Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art prize, Australia
2016 Finalist, Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
2016 Finalist, 64th Blake Prize, Australia
2015 Highly Commended, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Australia
2015 Selected artist - Redlands Art Prize, Australia
2015 UNSW Media Residency, Australia
2014 Highly Commended, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Australia
2014 Finalist, 63rd Blake Prize with The Artists, Australia
2014 Winner of The New York Photo Awards, Fine Art Series - Powerhouse Arena, New York, US
2014 National Photographic Portrait Prize finalist – National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia
2013 Art OMI Australia, Art OMI International Artists Residency, Upstate New York, USA
2013 Highly Commended, Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, Australia
2013 Highly Commended, Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture, Australia
2013 Finalist, 62nd Blake Prize, Australia
2011 Winner, Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture, Australia
2009 Winner, Art & About, Sydney Life, Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia
2009 Highly Commended, Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize, Australia
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Parliament House Art Collection, Canberra, Australia
Francis J. Greenburger Collection, New York, US
Artbank, Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
The Mordant Family Collection, Australia
Tweed River Gallery, NSW, Australia
Gold Coast City Art Gallery, QLD, Australia
Macquarie University Art Gallery, Australia
Newcastle Art Gallery, Australia
Neil Balnaves Collection, Australia
Art Omi Collection, New York, US
ART FAIRS
2019 Sydney Contemporary,
2019 Auckland Art Fair, NZ
2018 Pingyao Photography Festival, China
2018 Melbourne Art Fair, Australia
2018 Sydney Contemporary, Australia
2018 Auckland Art Fair, NZ
2017 Denfair Melbourne, Australia
2017 FotoLeggendo Festival, Italy
2016 Auckland Art Fair, NZ
2016 602 Melbourne, Australia
2015 Sydney Contemporary, Australia
2014 Hampton Art Fair, New York, US
2014 Melbourne Art Fair, Australia
2013 Aspettando FotoLeggendo Festival, Italy
2013 Delhi Photo Festival, India
2012 Fotofever, Brussels, Belgium
2012 Pingyao Photography Festival, China
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY - Critical essays, reviews and articles
2019 Maya Asha, ‘A Review of Tamara Dean: Endangered at Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney’ in Arteviste Review, London, August 2019
2019 Jacqui Taffel, ‘Tamara Dean uses beauty to explore the deep waters of climate change’ in Spectrum, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, July, 2019
2018 Australian Art Collector, Issue 83, Australia, January-March 2018
2018 Gina Fairley, ‘Review: Adelaide Biennial stumbles on curatorial tensions’ in ArtsHub, Australia, March 2018
2018 Andrew Frost, ‘Adelaide Biennial of Australian art - a contemporary snapshot tackling big social issues’ in The Guardian, Australia, March 2018
2018 John McDonald, ‘2018 Adelaide Biennial: Difference as the natural order of things’ in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, March 2018
2018 Alexis Buxton-Collins, ‘The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art is Celebrating Difference’ in Broadsheet, Australia, March 2018
2018 Jane Llewellyn, ‘The Garden of Divided Worlds’ in The Adelaide Review, Adelaide, March 2018
2018 Kate Hennessy, ‘Tamara Dean’s dusk photography’ in The Saturday Paper, Sydney, February 2018
2018 Louise Nunn, ‘Adelaide Festival Review 2018: Divided Worlds: 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art’ in The Advertiser, Australia, March 2018
2017 Andrew Taylor, ‘Artists discover history casts a dark shadow over Manly’s North Head’ in The Sydney Morning Herald, December 2017
2017 Lisa Slade, ‘Off the Wall: Alive in Nature’ in In Daily, Adelaide, November 2017
2016 Pip Coates, ‘Photographer Tamara Dean explores human instinct and nature’ in Australian Financial Review Magazine, Australia, December 2016
2016 ‘Taylor Wessing photographic portrait 2016-in pictures’ in The Guardian, UK, November 2016
2016 ‘About Face’ a Series Premier with Tamara Dean in Contemporaries, Sydney, May 2016
2016 ‘Tamara Dean In Conversation’ in Contemporaries, Sydney, April 2016
2015 Lachlan Bennett, ‘Photographer Tamara Dean creates Here and Now installation to take audiences back to nature’ in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, February 2015
2012 Ashley Crawford, Profile Piece in Australian Art Collector, Issue 60, Australia, April-June 2012
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY - Documentaries
2019 Josh Flavell, ‘Tamara Dean at 100 Mount Street, Outside In’ by UAP Studio, Sydney, 2019
2018 ‘Tamara Dean In Our Nature’ in AGSA Youtube Series, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
2015 ‘Artist Tamara Dean takes us into the Here and Now’ in About UNSW Youtube Series, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, February 2015
2014 John Leahy, ‘Tamara Dean, The Edge’ in a Vimeo Series, February 2014