CONTEMPORARY, PUBLIC AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST MEDIA KIT
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CONTEMPORARY, PUBLIC AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST MEDIA KIT
ART HAS BEEN MY VOICE
SINCE I CAN REMEMBER.
MY ART PROMOTES SPIRITUAL I want my art to represent truth,
self and an evolution of humanity.
TRANSFORMATION THROUGH
SYNCHRONICITY BOTH My contemporary mixed media
FROM THE INDIVIDUAL, AND artworks explore frequency, energy
and geometry – I aim to capture the
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT. vibrations and energy of the time
and space that I’m creating in.
WORKING TOWARDS A GOAL,
I DRAW ON EXPERIENCES NOT My public murals capture and
communicate the internal voice
ONLY AS AN ARTIST, BUT ALSO of my pupils, shared through
AS A PATIENT. community workshops.
My performance action painting is a
spiritual process of striking the brush
when encountering that moment of
metamorphosis - like a pendulum
ARTIST STATEMENT
while skateboarding.
These works harmonise the mind,
body and soul to activate the inner
creative in all.
CONTEMPORARY, PUBLIC AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST
BRETT ASHBY IS A
MELBOURNE BORN
INTERNATIONAL
CONTEMPORARY,
PUBLIC AND
PERFORMANCE
ARTIST.
HE IS AN ARTIST,
DIRECTOR, MENTOR, His CV includes artist, muralist, animator, TV producer, He defined his first signature style on his return home,
AND SPIRIT AND VISION filmmaker and app developer. while residing in regional NSW. He reconnected with
COACH WHO CANNOT nature, and explored a technique that he used to produce
Growing up in Melbourne’s outer south-eastern suburbs,
BE DEFINED BY ONE, Ashby quickly set his sights further than Melbourne and
a self-portrait during University in London in 2006.
OR EVEN A HANDFUL
ABOUT BRETT ASHBY
Australia, undertaking an overseas exchange program He produced iconic landscapes and portraits in the form
OF ARTISTIC STYLES, while completing his Animation and Interactive New of mixed media photographic collages. Ashby’s portrait
MEDIUMS OR TECHNIQUES. Media Studies at Melbourne’s RMIT University. of 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama,
was a symbolic piece of this style, and was exhibited in
In 2005 he studied at the Queens College of Arts, the Art Basel in Miami, Florida.
Westminster University, London, UK – a period of time
surrounded by creative and inspiring people and places, These pieces are still widely collected around the world
that would prove pivotal to inform his next creative today and defined as his signature energy style of
direction and style, and set him on a path of traveling, photographic collage.
working and creating art internationally from 2009-14.
ASHBY’S ART TRANSCENDS
CONTEMPORARY, PUBLIC AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST
THIS WORLD AND OFFERS
A HEALING AND GUIDING
LIGHT FOR THE SOUL.
Art collectors have commented that Ashby’s art
transcends this world and offers a healing and
guiding light for the soul.
He draws inspiration from Salvador Dali, Kelly Slater,
Tony Hawk, Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, James Turrell,
the ocean, space, and self.
In 2016, Ashby was diagnosed with testicular cancer,
ABOUT BRETT ASHBY
and was told he had just one week to live, as the state
and aggression of his cancer was widespread. With the
writing on the wall, Ashby shifted his energy to the path
of healing.
Five years on, he speaks from the heart as a survivor.
The experiences he encountered continue to inform
his art and approach to life.
IN 2014 ASHBY INNOVATED A NEW
IDEA TITLED BOVEMENT, (BRETT’S
CONTEMPORARY, PUBLIC AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST
MOVEMENT) – TO DOCUMENT THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY
AND A SKATEBOARD’S MOVEMENT.
Ashby skates on half-pipes while painting a panel van He will continue his public art, which he has pursued
as his canvas, in the centre of the half-pipes. He evolved for nearly a decade, commissioned through local
this performance art from his Plein Air series to create it governments, in collaboration with students who
live at Sculpture by the Sea, Australia’s largest sculpture often have lived experiences with mental ill-health,
event at Bondi in Sydney, fetching over 200,000 visitors, trauma or hardship.
with live video links of Ashby’s performance in over 50
NSW schools. Ashby thrives on these projects through vibrant energy,
passion, empathy through his personal experience and a
In 2019 Ashby innovated this style again, creating a drive to support people’s healing and transformation.
skateboard performance art series.
He writes and reads music, plays drums, guitar and sings.
While skating on the half-pipes, he paints a portrait of
a sitting musician on a canvas mounted on an easel in From the age of seven until early adolescence he was
the centre. a semi professional soccer player for Australia. He is
also a black belt in martial arts, instructor, and butterfly
He creates the art in front of a live audience, inspired by sword fighter.
the vibrations and energy of the sitting musician. His first
live performances were at Gasworks Theatre during the He practices yoga, breath work, meditation, surfs
2019 Melbourne Fringe Festival. and skates.
In 2021, Ashby will take an inaugural artist residency at
Pentridge, Melbourne’s former historic prison, which has
been transformed into a community development space.
ABOUT BRETT ASHBY
ASHBY’S GLOBAL From 2007-09 he met and interviewed then Prime
Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd. He filmed pop star
TRAVELS AND
Pink in concert, visited the White House in Washington
PROJECTS HAVE LED to deliver his portrait of serving President of the United
HIM TO MEET AND WORK States, Barack Obama to his staff, and had his portrait of
WITH INTERESTING Ellen DeGeneres delivered to her set in Los Angeles.
AND INTERNATIONAL Touring across outback Australia in 2010, Ashby met
ARTISTS, SPORTS PEOPLE, Swiss Motocross champion, fitness coach and singing
POP CULTURE FIGURES bowl practitioner, Valentine Nascher. The chance meeting
led to a 12 year friendship, with Ashby spending four
AND POLITICIANS. months living in Liechtenstein in 2012 to paint and hang
art in Valentine’s world class gym, N.Gym.
Ashby and artist Christine Perera were involved in the
curator talk at the Tate London in 2011 when they were
introduced to renowned English artist, entrepreneur,
and art collector, Damien Hirst. At the time Hirst was
installing his Crematorium (1996) artwork. It’s Hirst’s For
the Love of God (2007) artwork – costing £14 million to
produce that Ashby really connected with.
In 2017, Ashby celebrated his 30th birthday at the Bondi
Skateboarders Art Show, grateful for his improved health
after surviving cancer. He was in great company with
skateboarding stars from his childhood - Steve Caballero,
Steve Alba, Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek also exhibiting
their art.
It was at this show that Ashby spoke with Tony Hawk
about fear. The show and conversations helped Ashby
to reconnect with skateboarding – an activity he loved
in his youth before a serious injury made him give it away.
HIGHLIGHTS
KEY AWARDS
2012 2012 2011 2011 2010 2009 2009
London Olympics Art European Driving Milan Art Prize - Tastes of Chapel - Artist Wanted - Tastes of Chapel - Art Basel -
Show, JL Galleries, Escapade, Wicked Blindonkey, New ART-Town Chapel off Photographic prize, ART-Town Olsen Hotel, Artoconecto Bomb
Bow, London Campers, UK (Curator) Atlantic Gallery, New Chapel, Melbourne, New York, (Winner) Melbourne, Australia 2, The American
(Curator) York (Winner) Australia (Winner) (Winner) Dream, Miami, Florida
(Winner)
AWARDS
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMS
2021 2019 2015 2014 2013 2012 2012
Pentridge Arts, Box Hill Community Mornington Shire Wireless Art, Heritage Hill, London Olympics Bow Arts -
Coburg - Victoria, Arts Centre - Council, Rye – City Of Yarra - Dandenong - Art Show, Curator - Bow, London, UK
Australia Victoria, Australia Victoria, Australia Victoria, Australia Victoria, Australia Bow, London, UK
AWARDS
MAR T
ao Door, ANZ Bank, Bentleigh mural JUN G
len Eira, Elsternwick Train Station mural AUG Casula Powerhouse Art Centre, NSW performance
art, ‘Frequency’ series
APR L
iberty Hobart, 2021, Tasmanian Art Centre Flow Wollongong performance paintings
Pivot, 2021, Abbottsford Convent
MAY
Acceleration Artist in Residence, Pentridge, Live from Pentridge, Podcast series with Brett
Coburg Ashby, talking with the dead, visual artist stories Arts Tasmania, St Marys District School commission
from industry leaders public art mural
‘Million Dollar Run’, video art by Brett Ashby
JUL E-commerce retail outlet for Ashby’s signature
MIFF short film ‘For The One I Love’, staring Brett
Creation of The Brett Ashby Arts Institute
collection of retail items Ashby and Felix Ezrael
WasPs public art mural, with Lakeisha Clayton,
Ashby’s private collection available, via
DEC The Voice, original songs by Brett Ashby with
Bunurong Artist International Art Auction House Emanuele Mamo Vocal Art Studios and VAS
Entertainment
CURRENT & FUTURE PROJECTS 2021
12 week challenge, Mind Clarity in partnership with
Abbottsford Artist in Residence, exciting
Owen Hallam, Life Coach shadowland publication of three books
Geometry light art with Shanaaz Peake,
warehouse activations by Brett Ashby
Portraits at Pentridge series commences
2005 B
aa You Decide, ACMI - Melbourne, Australia 2019 E
nergy, Gasworks Theatre - Melbourne, Australia 2020 Only a drummer knows the feeling, short film,
Lift-Off Film Festival - Tokyo, Japan
2008 B
arack Obama, Art Basel – Miami, Florida Mirroring, Synchronous Behaviour, Reflexes
& Movement - Federation Square, Melbourne, Only a drummer knows the feeling, short film,
2009 Barack Obama, Artoconecto‚ B(o)MB 2, The Australia White Nights Film Festival - St. Petersburg, Russia
American Dream – Miami, Florida
Blue Light, Box Hill Community Arts Centre,
2021 Abundance, Decade, No Vacancy Gallery –
2011 Ldn Bus, The Other Art Fair, Bargehouse - Australia Melbourne, Australia
Southbank, London
Only a drummer knows the feeling, short film, Daoism, UooUoo sculpture program, Royal
2012 E
nergy, N.gym exhibition - Liechtenstein, Europe YOFIFEST, Yonkers, New York Childrens Hospital – Melbourne, Australia
Richie, short film, Liberty, Loop Screen - Hobart,
Tasmania
KEY EXHIBITIONS
>>> View timeline of Ashby’s projects.>>> johnmekenna.com >>> fortemag.com.au >>> acclaimmag.com >>> dandenong-starcommunity.com.au
>>> medianet.com.au >>> artsandculture.google.com >>> beat.com.au >>> discoverfrankston.com
MEDIA
>>> Read more news hereBRETT
ASHBY
BRETTASHBY.COM
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
MEDIA@BRETTASHBY.COM
0439 396 059
PENTRIDGE RESIDENCY
AND OPEN STUDIOS
STUDIO 8, 1 CHAMP ST,
COBURG, VIC, 3058
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