Julie Dowling (born 1969) is an Indigenous Australian artist whose work, in a

social realist Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

style, deals with issues of Aboriginal identity. She identifies culturally and politically as a

Badimaya The Badimaya people (also written Badimia) are an Aboriginal Australian people from the Mid West region of Western Australia. Country Traditional Badimaya country was calculated by Norman Tindale to encompass approximately , and is bordered by ...

First Nation woman.

Early life

Dowling was born at the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in the Perth suburb of Subiaco. Her identical twin sister, Carol, is an academic and radio documentary producer. Their single mother, Veronica, was a member of the

nation, whose traditional lands are around Paynes Find and Yalgoo in Western Australia's

Gascoyne The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Ga ...

region. Along with her mother, she was strongly influenced by her maternal grandmother, Molly, who taught her much about her traditional culture; Molly had been taken from the Yalgoo area by her Irish father at the age of eleven and sent to a Catholic orphanage. The twins spent their early childhood with their mother and extended family, including Molly, in the outer Perth suburb of Redcliffe when it was mostly bushland. Her mother and the twins constantly moved within public housing around the Perth metropolitan area, fearing that welfare agencies might take the children away. While on train trips to visit their grandmother, their mother would point out people who might be trying to hide their Aboriginality, and would encourage Julie to sketch them while Carol would interview them.

Education and career

Dowling attended St Francis Xavier School in Armadale and St. Joachim's School in Victoria Park. In 1989 she received a Diploma of Fine Art from the Claremont School of Art, where she was influenced by realist teachers such as Marcus Beilby. She received a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

from

Curtin University Curtin University, formerly known as Curtin University of Technology and Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), is an Australian public research university based in Bentley, Perth, Western Australia. It is named after John Curtin, ...

in 1992, becoming the first woman in her family to gain a university degree. In 1995, she had her first solo exhibition at Fremantle Arts Centre and received an Associate Diploma in Visual Arts Management at Central Metropolitan College of TAFE. Her work, in a

style, deals with issues of Aboriginal identity, and is informed by the experiences of her community, culture, and family. It is inspired by such traditions as European portraiture and Christian icons, Mexican muralism,

Papunya Tula Papunya Tula, registered as Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, is an artist cooperative formed in 1972 in Papunya, Northern Territory, owned and operated by Aboriginal people from the Western Desert of Australia. The group is known for its innovativ ...

dot painting, and

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Au ...

iconography.

Recognition

Dowling was a finalist for the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...

in 2001, 2002, and 2013, along with the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2000 and 2013. She won the 2000 Mandorla Art Award and the painting division of the

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) is Australia's longest running Indigenous art award. Established in 1984 as the National Aboriginal Art Award by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwi ...

in that year, and in 2002, she was recognised as Australia's Most Collectible Artist by the magazine ''

Australian Art Collector ''Art Collector'', formerly ''Australian Art Collector'', is a quarterly art magazine. It primarily covers Australian contemporary and Indigenous Australian art, and also features New Zealand and international artists. History ''Art Collector ...

''. In 2006 she received an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from

Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...

Selected exhibitions

Dowling has exhibited in Australia and internationally, including solo exhibitions at: * Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia, ''WA Now: Julie Dowling - Babanyu (Friends for Life)'' (2018)
Galerie Seippel
Cologne, Germany, ''Julie Dowling: Malga Gurlbarl'' (2017)
Geraldton Regional Art Gallery
Geraldton, WA, Australia, ''Yagu Gurlbarl (Big Secret): New Works From Julie Dowling'' (2017)
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery
Perth, WA, Australia, ''Julie Dowling: Family and Friends'' (2012)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Julie Australian Aboriginal artists Australian women artists Artists from Western Australia Artists from Perth, Western Australia Curtin University alumni Identical twins Australian twins 1969 births Living people