Lisa Patroni

My art practice involves painting and cast sculptural elements that allude to the natural presence and absence inherent in objects. I incorporate found and recycled materials, sourced from local environments, to express both the poetic and political agency of everyday spaces and objects. This practice allows me to not only make connections with local communities, in this case with the Waverley community, but also points to wider social and political issues for contemporary culture.

My practice draws on the subversive European tradition of Monochrome painting and is informed by my formative experience of living and working in Amsterdam. I started exhibiting in Amsterdam in the early 1990s, and have consistently presented my work in Australia and overseas, with a strong history of working in alternative spaces. I graduate from the National Art School with a Master of Fine Art in painting in November (2018). I was awarded a Canberra School of Art Travelling Scholarship (1985) and a Post Graduate Scholarship with The Netherlands Government, leading to further study at the Koninklijke Akademie voor Kunst en Vormgeving, the Netherlands, where I received a Post-Graduate Degree in Painting (1991). My work is held in public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the Print Council of Australia, and private collections in Australia and Europe.

Teaching has formed a large part of my art practice. I taught Visual Art at The International School of Amsterdam for 12 years. I am influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to art education where I received formal training at the Reggio Emilia center in Italy. I co-wrote the art curriculum for International Schools PYP program in Cardiff, Wales, which was subsequently used for International Schools Art curriculums throughout the world. On returning to Australia I set up an independent practice and teach art to children and adults in Clovelly.