The Artist - Sylvia Serville

Sylvia Serville

BIOGRAPHY & CV

Born in Tauranga, New Zealand
Arts columnist, Gulf News, Auckland, NZ (1992-2001)
Invited to French Polynesia in 1994 to paint and exhibit a series of Tahitian paintings (Galerie Baie de Cooke, Moorea)
In 2001 Sylvia migrated to Australia and began documenting on canvas, her Aboriginal 'heritage'. Some of that work is on this site
Studied Indigenous Australian culture via the University of South Australia (2003-2005)
After the shock discovery that she was not Australian Aboriginal at all , she changed direction and her Degree Major to Visual Arts
It appears that many of her forebears,mistakenly taken for Aboriginal people, had been slaves in Bermuda. They are believed to have been of African descent, (possibly with a mix of Native-American as well) arriving in Tasmania, Australia, in the late 1800s
In 2007, she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia)
She has almost completed her Master of Arts Degree (University of New South Wales - COFA).
Raised in the largest Polynesian city in the world - Auckland, New Zealand - Sylvia developed an art style which was heavily influenced by this cultural blend.To reflect this, and enhanced by her own husband and children’s New Zealand Maori heritage, she has been working on a new body of work depicting the large number of Pacific Islanders who have also settled in her new hometown, Brisbane.
Married (mother of three), Sylvia resides in South Brisbane, Queensland

Sylvia is also known as Sylvia Huege de Serville

PUBLICATIONS

1999: Illustrated Maori language reader, KAPA HAKA for NZ author, Katerina Mataira (commissioned: NZ Dept. of Ed)

1991: Artwork published in 'Waiheke Art and Poetry' (Reid,Pamela,1991)

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

2009

Winner, Purchase Award, Creative Sparks Exhibition, Melbourne

2008

Winner 'People's Choice Award' Royal Queensland Art Society's "Artist of the Year" Awards (Brisbane)

2003

Winner ‘People’s Choice Award’ (Telstra Aboriginal Art Award, Darwin)
Finalist Nationwide Indigenous RAKA Award (Melbourne)
Commendation : Minnawarra Art Award (Perth, WA)
Finalist Bunbury Biennale [Invitational] (Bunbury, WA)

2002

Finalist Telstra Aboriginal Art Award, (Darwin, Nthrn Territories)
Special Runner-up 2002 Perth Royal Show’s Open Art Award (Perth, WA)
Finalist Mandorla Religious Art Award (Fremantle, WA)

2000

OVERALL WINNER Waiheke Art Award (Auckland, New Zealand)

1999

OVERALL WINNER Mainland Art Award (Dunedin, New Zealand)

1998

Category Winner LDS International Art Award (Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)
Category Winner Waiheke Art Award (Auckland, New Zealand)

1997

OVERALL WINNER St Helier’s Bay Art Award (Auckland, New Zealand)
Category Winner 1996 Waiheke Art Award (Auckland, New Zealand)

EXHIBITIONS

2009: * Creative Sparks Exhibition, St Vincent's Gallery, Fitzroy, Melbourne, ++ Derek & Dwyer Exhibition,Derek & Dwyer Offices, (Gold Coast) ++RQAS 'Yes Minister' Exhibition,RQAS Gallery 419 (RQAS Building, Brisbane). ++ Bella Art gallery, Springfield Lakes,Brisbane ++Melbourne Art Fair (Royal Exhibition Centre, Melbourne)
2008:*Joint Artist's Exhibition, Bella Art Gallery (Springfield Lakes, Brisbane)++ Joint Artists Exh.*Tina Cooper Art & Glass Gallery, (Eumundi, Sunshine Coast, Qld') ++* RQAS Artist of the Year Award Exhibition, (Old Museum Building, Bowen Hills, Brisbane) ++ Invited Artist's, * 'Home Grown 2008', (Ipswich Art Gallery,Sth Brisbane)
2007:* Invited Artists, Tina Cooper Art & Glass Gallery, Eumundi, Sunshine Coast, Qld
2006 :Invited Artists, *'Lifting the Veil', (Bond University Gallery, QLD)++ Solo exh.* 'Legacy' (Escape Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW)
2004 : *Sydney Affordable Art Show (Royal Hall of Industries, Sydney, NSW)++ *Joondalup Invitation Art Exhibition(Perth,WA) ++*‘What Colour is your Heart’ (Fireworks Gallery, Brisbane,Qld)++*Melbourne Art Fair (Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne,Vic )
2003 : *Telstra Art Award Exhibition (Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin)++ *Kate Challis RAKA Award, (Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne) ++*Fisher Ghost Art Award Exhibition (Campbeltown Gallery NSW) ++*New Works: Jody Broun & Sylvia Serville (Indigenart, Perth) ++*‘Identity and Country’, (45 Downstairs, Melbourne,Vic,) ++*Bunbury Biennale Invitational Exhibition (Bunbury Art Gallery, WA) ++*Minnawarra Invitational Art Exhibition (Armadale Admin. Bldg. Perth,W.A)++ *Sydney Affordable Art Show (Royal Hall of Industries,NSW) ++* Melbourne Art fair (Royal Exhibition Centre, Melbourne)
2002 *Eyes of a Nation’, SOLO Exhibition (Indigenart,Perth)++*Salek Minc Exh. for Jewish Women Artists (Perth Jewish Cntr)++*Telstra Art Award Exhibition (Art Gallery of NT,Darwin)
2001 *Rockingham Indigenous Art Exhibition (PCYC Cntr,WA)++ *Melbourne Art Fair (Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne) ++*Rockingham Art Show (Rockingham Arts Cntr,WA) ++*Perth Royal Show Exhibition (Royal Showground Exh. Centre, Perth, W.A) ++*Mandorla Religious Art Award Exhibition (Moores Blding, Fremantle, W.A)++ *Mandorla Selected Finalist’s Exhibition (New Norcia Gallery) ,WA

In 2001 the artist moved from New Zealand to Australia

SEE BELOW FOR NEW ZEALAND EXHIBITION HISTORY

· 2000*‘Family Culture’(The Edge, Auckland, NZ)++ *Waiheke Art Award Exhibition (Artworks, Auckland, NZ) ++*LDS International Art Award (Museum Art/History ++ *Toi Maori Arts Festival (Rotorua Convention Centre, Rotorua, NZ)++ *Mainland Art Award (Academy Fine Arts Gallery, Dunedin,NZ)

· 1999 * S.W.A.N Exhibition (NZ/Aus artists, Tapp Gallery,Sydney)

· 1998 *’Colour in Excess’ (Solo Exh, Harrison’s Gallery, Tauranga,NZ) ++*Garden Party Exhibition (Invited). (Government House, Auckland, NZ)++ *Open Artists Exhibition (BONZ Gallery,Queenstown,NZ

· 1997 *No Te Manawa Ringa (Te Taumata Gallery, Auckland, NZ)++ *‘All Creatures Great and Small’ (Waiheke Comm. Art Gallery, Auck.NZ)++ *Waiheke Art Award Exhibition (Waiheke Community Gallery,Auckland,NZ) ++ *LDS International Art Award ( Museum Art/History, Salt Lake City,Utah,,USA),NZ) ++*’Pathos in Paradise’ (Artworks Gallery, Auckland, NZ)++*‘The Hinehopu Look’ (Solo Exhibition, Tait Gallery, Rotorua, NZ)

· 1996* ‘Going Solo 8’ (SOLO Exh.Acad. Fine Arts Gallery, Wellington, NZ)++*‘Tangata Whenua Re-visited’ (SOLO Exh Harrison’s Gallery,Tauranga,NZ)++ *’Pacific Pallette’ (Art By the Sea, Auckland)

· 1995*Open Exhibition (Prints Gallery, Auckland, NZ) ++*‘Images of Egypt’ (Artworks Gallery, Auckland, NZ)++ *Works by Artist, SOLO Exh.(Hotel Pan Pacific Foyer, Auck, NZ)++ *‘ Painted Garden’(NZ Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Wellington, NZ)++ *‘The Sky’s the Limit’ (NZ Academy of Fine Arts Gallery,Wellington, NZ)++ *Open Exhibition (Harrison’s Gallery, Tauranga,NZ)++ *Open Exhibition(Studio Contemporary Art, Auck.NZ) ++*‘The Mail Must Go Through’ (Artworks Gallery,Waiheke Is, Auck.NZ)

· 1994*‘Portraits of Polynesia’ ,Galerie Baye de Cooke, French Polynesia)++ *Open Exhibition, (Harrison’s Gallery, Tauranga, NZ)

· 1993 * Joint Auckland Artist’s Exhibition (Art By the Sea, Auckland,NZ)

· 1992 *’Portraits of the Soul’ SOLO Exh. (Morgan-le-Fay Gallery, Auckland) ++*’Five With a Vision’ (Artworks Gallery, Auckland

· 1990* The Family of Man’ SOLO Exh. (Toured 6 of Auckland’s Art Centres)

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Works held in collections in Tahiti, Sweden, USA (incl. LDS Museum Art & History, Utah), New Zealand, Australia (incl. University West Sydney & Berhnt Museum of Anthropology, Perth, WA)