Raquel Ormella (born 1969) is an Australian artist focusing on multimedia works such as posters, banners, videography and needlework. Ormella’s work has been showcased in many exhibitions in galleries and museums, including the

Shepparton Art Museum The Shepparton Art Museum is an art Museum in Shepparton, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It holds one of Australia's most significant collections of Australian ceramics. It is host to the ''Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Award (S ...

and the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most importa ...

. Working in Sydney and Canberra, Ormella’s pieces are known to encompass themes of activism and social issues in many forms and has received praise.

Early life

Raquel Ormella was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1969 to her South American mother and Spanish father. Ormella’s parents immigrated from Germany to Australia. Due to their migration, Ormella identified the negative affect it had on her family and felt a separation from her European life. This rift intrigued her and influenced her decision to spend time in Vienna at the end of her studies. Ormella first studied Visual Arts at Western Sydney University, Nepean from 1992 to 1996 and then spent a year at the Akademie der Bilden Kunst in Vienna. She also holds of a Masters of Fine Arts from Western Sydney University, Nepean in 2003-5. Ormella was awarded a PhD in Visual Arts by the Australian National University in 2013. Her thesis examined human relationships with urban birds.

Career

Since 2006 Ormella has taught painting at the Australian National University in the third year, Honours and post-graduate programs along with continuing her personal practice. Ormella is an artist working at the intersections of art and

activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...

, investigating the means by which critical reflexivity in contemporary art encourages processes of self-examination regarding political consciousness and

social action In sociology, social action, also known as Weberian social action, is an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals (or ' agents'). According to Max Weber, "Action is 'social' insofar as its subjective meaning takes ac ...

. Ormellaʼs practice is grounded in exploring the nature of the relationship between humans and the natural environment, with a particular focus on

urban expansion Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

and forest activism. In highlighting the connectedness between the two, Ormella attempts to show that our depictions of the natural world are not representations of true "

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

" or a pure state, but rather are informed by human contact and reflective of human values. Ormella has built a practice covering a diverse range of activities such as textiles, video, paintings, installations, drawings, and zines. She is interested in exploring the relation of the audience to the artwork by using multiples. Ormella’s works are displayed in both galleries as well as public spaces. The use of textiles and posters as mediums coincides with Ormella’s focus on activism. The history of embroidery and textile work is embedded in feminist art and was considered ‘women’s work', Ormella uses it as an enforcement of feminist activism in her works. Ormella’s work focuses more on the story of the world around her rather than herself. She takes into account other individuals' experiences for a theme of commonality within activism. She believes the works should speak for themselves and not be influenced or interpreted via her personal story. In 2006 Ormella won the $15000 F J Foundation Acquisitive Prize for the ''New Social Commentaries'' exhibition at the Warnambool Art Gallery. The felt-tip marker drawings on whiteboards refer to the campaign to save Tasmania's forests leading up to the 2004 Federal election. Three of Ormella’s works are held in the Cruthers Collection of Women's Art at the University of Western Australia: * ''Pick me'', 2002–2003, flannel fabric and ribbon, 106 x 192 cm. CCWA 885 * ''Xanana Gusmao’s son has a tattoo of his father’s face on his chest.'' 1999, Felt, wood, 90 x 200 cm. CCWA 943 * ''Golden Soil #2,'' 2014, nylon, 92 x 152 cm. CCWA 971

Exhibitions

Recent exhibitions include: * 2017 The 1st Californian Pacific Triennial, Orange County Museum of Art, USA * 2017 3rd Tamworth Textile Triennial * 2015 ''Artist Making Movement'', Asian Art Biennial, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung * 2015 ''See you at the barricades'', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney * 2015 ''More love hours: contemporary artists and craft'', Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne * 2014 ''Basil Sellers Prize'', Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne * 2014 ''Protest Songs, Artful Actions'', Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore * 2013 ''Conflict: Contemporary responses to war'', University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane * 2013 ''Direct Democracy,'' MUMA, Melbourne * 2013 Pigeon Auction: Looking at suburban subcultures, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Liverpool, New South Wales * 2012 8th Shanghai Biennial, China * 2010 1st Aichi Triennale, Nagoya, Japan * 2010 ''In the balance'', MCA, Sydney Solo exhibitions include: * 2019 i hope you get this, Raquel Ormella, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University * 2018 i hope you get this: Raquel Ormella, Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton, Victoria * 2016 ''Golden Soil,'' Milani Gallery * 2013 ''Birds'', School of Art Gallery, ANU, Canberra * 2013 ''New Constellation,'' Milani Gallery * 2012 ''Feeders'' Canberra Contemporary Art Space, ACT

Awards, grants and prizes

* 2018, Visions of Australia program, Department of Communications and Art * 2017, Sunshine Coast Art Prize * 2016, One Year Studio Artist, Art space, Sydney * 2012, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Art Centre, NSQ * 2009, New Work Grant, Australian Council * 2007, PHD scholarship, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University * 2007, New Work Grant, Arts ACT * 2007, New Work Grant, Australian Council for the Arts * 2006, New Social Commentaries, Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery * 2006, Capital Arts Patrons Organisations, Singapore Airways travelling grant * 2003, Australian Postgraduate research scholarship, and UWS Research Bonus * 2000, Western Sydney artist Fund, NSW Ministry for the Arts * 1999, Australia Council Studio Residency, Barcelona, Spain * 1996, Dyson Bequest travelling Scholarship, Art Gallery of NSW for study * 1992, William Fletcher Trust Prize

Works

* 2018, City without Crows *2016, Golden Soil * 2014, ''Wealth for Toil I'' * 2013, ''Poetic Possibility'' *2006-2008, Going Back/Volver

Early life

Career

Exhibitions

Awards, grants and prizes

Works

References

Further reading