Rebecca Wallis

Artist Profile

Biography

Rebecca Wallis’ practice questions the separation created through desires to fix, and hold. Her work reviews the meaninglessness of our existence. When the ‘I’ collapses, when “who I think I am ruptures and what remains is this strange experience of more”.

Wallis makes analogies between the painting and the Self, the painterly and the corporeal. Her practice loosens the constructed painting object to reference these allusive states we experience that lie outside of language and resist meaning. To Wallis, this loosening of order suggests a continuum between the Self and Other. Is there is more to the Self than what we know or think the Self to be? She refers to states of Abjection, Jouissance, and the Semiotic, Lacan’s ‘Real’, Freuds Uncanny.
Her constructions consider a formal equality where each and every part of the object is visually acknowledged, where the unseen becomes seen, referring to this continuum. She intends to open spaces up for experiences that reconsider our expectations made from the certainty of the tangible – of surface, edges and boundaries. She deconstructs and reforms her silk supports and the ‘traditional’ painted surface, reconfiguring them into something on the precipice – but just outside – of recognition.

Wallis’ practice is about a constructive reviewing, be it an emotional realm, or a reconfiguration of familiar visual signifiers.

BIOGRAPHY

Wallis’ practice is about a constructive reviewing, be it an emotional realm, or a reconfiguration of familiar visual signifiers.

Exhibitions

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 ‘Without, who I am’, James Makin Gallery, AU
2022 Void of Meaning 2, Scott Lawrie Gallery, NZ
2021 Void of Meaning, Scott Lawrie Gallery, NZ
2020 ‘With The Absent Other’, Scott Lawrie Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2020 ‘Carriance’, The Vivian, NZ
2019 ‘Of Itself’, The Vivian, NZ
2018 ‘A Line between two points’. Duo, The Vivian, NZ
2017 ‘The Weight of Meaninglessness’, Grey, NZ
2017 ‘The Otherness of Ourselves’, Zimmerman Contemporary, NZ
2016 ‘Scratchings’, Zimmerman Contemporary, NZ
2015 ‘Rebecca Wallis’, Zimmerman Contemporary, NZ
2014 ‘The ones that keep us golden’, Orexart, Auckland, NZ
2013 ‘Found, parts’, Orexart, Auckland, NZ
2009 ‘Between 8.15 and 8.45’, Lane Gallery, Auckland, NZ
2006 Lane Gallery, Auckland, NZ
1991 Bowen Gallery, Wellington, NZ
1989 ‘the way it’s said’, Manawatu Public Art Gallery, NZ

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Abstraxt Abstraxt, North Art Gallery, Auckland, NZ
Melbourne Art Fair, James Makin Gallery, Melbourne, AU
2023 Abstractions, James Makin Gallery, Melbourne, AU
Mothermother, North Art Gallery, Auckland, NZ
Melbourne Design Fair, collaboration between James Makin Gallery and Fred International, Melbourne, AU
2022 Summer New, James Makin Gallery, Melbourne, AU.
Women in Abstraction, curated by James Makin Advisory, ANZ Gallery, Melbourne, AU.
Aotearoa Art Fair, Auckland, NZ
SENSATION_22, Scott Lawrie Gallery,
The Confessions, with Patricia Picicinini, Auckland, CBD, NZ
‘Paint’ , Bartley and Company Art, Wellington, NZ
2021 TENT, Wellington, NZ
Te Tai-O-Rehua, The Tasman, Scott Lawrie Gallery, NZ
Spring 1883 Melbourne,
Some New New Zealand Painting, Broker Gallery, Queenstown, NZ
Auckland Art Fair, With Patricia Piccinini, and Sally Gabori, NZ
2020 Hello again, Scott Lawrie Gallery, NZ
2019 ‘Spring 1883, (The Vivian) Sydney, Australia
‘We Sing The Body Electric’, Gallery 46 Whitechapel, London, UK
Auckland Art Far, with Sally Gabori and Patricia Piccinini, NZ
‘Mother mother’, Lot 23, NZ
‘Mother mother’, Lot 23, NZ
‘Towards The Forest’, The Vivian, NZ
2018 SHIM Invitational 6, Art Helix, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Asia Contemporary, Artists in Taiwan, HK
‘Show’, Ramp Public Art Gallery, NZ
Asia Contemporary, Artists in Taiwan, HK
2015 ART TAIPEI 2015, with Charles Chiu, Taiwan
2008 Team McMillan Art Awards, Bmw Show room, NZ
2007 ‘The Long Hot Summer’, Waiheke Public Art gallery, NZ
1999 ‘The Chinese Room’, Void, Hackney, London
‘Bankside Browser’, Bankside, London
‘Whitechapel Open’, (curators Julian Opie, Lucia Nogueira, Felicity Lunn, Andrew Kotting), The Whitechapel Public Art
Gallery, London
1998 ‘Strange’, Vane’98, CrossHouse, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
‘The Bible of Networking’, Sali Gia, London
‘Sarah Stanton’s Super Store’, The Tannery, London
1996 ‘I beg to differ’, Milch Gallery,(curator Rosemary Heather) London
Michael Curran, Mark Dean, Sean Dower, Anouchka Grose, Robert Kennedy, Philip Lai, Peter Land, Guy Lafayette,
Edwward Lipski, Soren Martinsen, Stan McGillis, Guillaume, Paris, Janette Paris, Michelle Perkins, Marcelle Price,
Alex Robinson, Rasta Sadhu, Rebecca Wallis, Rebecca Warren and Fergal Stapleton.
1995 ‘MA Degree Show’, Goldsmiths College, London
1994 ‘MA Goldsmiths Show’, Chisenhale Gallery, London
1992 ‘Art Asia ’92’, Represented by the Ho Gallery, H.K

Awards

2022 Finalist, Painting and Printmaking Art Award, Hamilton, NZ
2021 Finalist, Parkin Prize, Wellington, NZ
2020 Finalist, Painting + Printmaking Art Award, Hamilton,NZ
Finalist Wallace Art Awards, Auckland, NZ
2019 Finalist, Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award, NZ
Finalist, Hopper Prize, US
2018 Finalist, Parkin Drawing Prize, NZ Accdemy Fine Arts, Wellington, NZ
2017 (Round 2) Aesthetica Art Prize, UK
2015 Finalist, Wallace Art Awards, travelling show, NZ
2014 Finalist Wallace Art awards, NZ
Finalist Painting & Printmaking Art awards, NZ
2012 Finalist Walker & Hall Art Awards, selector Mary-Louise Browne, NZ
Finalist Painting & Printmaking Art awards, selector John Daley – Peoples, NZ
2011 Finalist National Contemporary Art Awards, selector John Hurrell, NZ
Finalist Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Awards, NZ
2009 Finalist Wallace Art Awards, NZ
Merit Award, Waikato Painting & Printmaking Art Awards, NZ
2008 Winner, Walker & Hall Art Awards, NZ
Selected for the Team Macmillan BMW Art Awards, NZ
Finalist Wallace Art Awards, Aotea Centre, NZ
Finalist Wallace Art Awards, The new Dowse, Wellington, NZ
2006 Peoples Choice Award, Walker & Hall Art Awards, NZ
Merit Award, Walker & Hall Art Awards, NZ
2004 Finalist Norsewear Art Awards, NZ
1999 Whitechapel Open, selectors Julian Opie, Felicity Lunn and Lucia Nogueira,
Whitechapel Public Art Gallery, London, UK

ARTWORKS

Rebecca Wallis Detaching 1 2022 acrylic on silk over pine bars 45 x 40 cm $2,000.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Apart 2022 acrylic on silk over pine bars 55 x 45 cm $2,000.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Detaching 2 2022 acrylic on silk over pine bars 40 x 30 cm $2,000.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Searching for Resolution 2022 acrylic on silk over pine bars 50 x 45 cm $2,000.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Edge of Self 2022 silk and acrylic on silk over pine bars 130 x 125 x 15 cm $8,850.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Anticipation of facing the bottomless threat of my own chaos 2021 acrylic on silk over cedar bars 130 x 110 x 35 cm $8,850.00 ENQUIRE →
Rebecca Wallis Leaking attachments 2021 acrylic on silk over cedar bars 190 x 130 x 35 cm $8,850.00 ENQUIRE →