A Professor Wayne Quilliam is recognised as one of Australia’s most creative and innovative photographers working at a local, state, national and international level. His dedication to develop positive and culturally appropriate imaging of Indigenous Australia has been rewarded with numerous awards as has his work in curating and exhibiting more than 140 solo exhibitions in Europe, Asia, USA, South America and Australia over the past 25 years.
Recent exhibitions include Havana, Cuba, Venezuala, Foto Freo, Artistry Gallery, Art Centre Berlin, Boscia Gallery, Fibre Gallery, Gasworks Gallery, Dreaming Gallery, 101 Collins St, W15 in Melbourne, Grenfell Gallery, Adelaide, Garma Gallery, Northern Territory, Portrait Gallery, Canberra and National Museum, Canberra the Sydney Opera House, Sydney.
He opened his European tour that included 80 images of Indigenous celebrations and exhibited in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, many of these images have been included in permanent collections throughout Europe and in public displays.
Wayne has travelled to Mexico City with his international show “Lowanna” and opened by the Australian Ambassador to Mexico, it is now included in the permanent Australian Embassy Collection. He also visted Posta Rica as the Australian Art Ambassador and Photographer for the Cumbre Tajin Festival, a traditional Mexican festival attracting over a quarter of a million people.
After organising exhibitions in Miami, USA he visited Bolivia to work with the traditional people and develop images for a major campaign.
Aboriginal photography is gradually being accepted as a unique artform and Wayne visits Europe continously with two series of his ‘Lowanna’ series that is presented as a collection of spiritual nudes and are on display at Art Centre Berlin, Germany opened by the Australian Ambassador. ‘Lowanna Emergence’ was opened by the European Union Ambassador at the Museum of Young Art in Vienna, Austria in July as a part of the ‘Global Art’ series, Wayne was the only Australian artist invited to participate.
Wayne co-created a 1920’s New York photographic shoot with Russell Crowe and was the art ambassador for Silverchair/Powderfinger ‘Across the Great Divide Tour’, his images were used on stage to encourage Australian youth to participate in the ‘Reconcile’ project.
Locally Wayne travels the country conducting talks and photographic workshops in rural, remote and urban communities encouraging people to utilise photography as an art form and is in demand to present talks and lectures to mainstream art and professional forums relating to contemporary Indigenous art.
PROJECTS
- Lowanna Exhibition Australian Embassy Mexico City, Mexico
- Artwork featured in Qantas, Ethiad, Emirates and Tiger Airlines in-flight magazines
- Exhibition ‘To War and Back’ at W15 Gallery (Melbourne)
- Development of 6 Indig Readers books for Indigenous Children
- Exhibition at Gasworks Gallery (Melbourne)
- Featured artist on Absolute Arts Worldwide 3 times in 12 months
- Lowanna Unearth Exhibition at Art Centre Berlin, Germany
- Co-Creative Director with Russell Crowe on 1920’s Photographic Shoot in Melbourne
- Exhibition at Portrait Gallery Old Parliament House (Canberra)
- Exhibition at NAB Headquarters and state offices
- Featured articles in the ‘Australian, Herald Sun, Financial Review, MX, Deadly Vibe, Koori Mail, National Indigenous Times, The Examiner, Mercury’
- ‘Ngnarpin’ exhibition at Boscia Gallery, Melbourne
- Artwork featured on the Sunday Arts Show (ABC Television)
- Lowanna Emergence Exhibition, Museum of Young Art Vienna, Austria
- Photographs and artwork for ‘Brotha Black’ CD and marketing
- Developed OXFAM Artwork and Photographs for the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign
- Photographs featured on the Silverchair/Powderfinger ‘Across the Great Divide Tour’ and Art Ambassador for the ‘Reconcile’ campaign.
- Photographer and Art mentor for the ‘Pictcha This’ project with Kimba Thompson
- Profiled artist at the Melbourne Art Show
- Artwork featured on Living Black (SBS)
- Exhibition in Macau (China)
- One of 10 featured Australian artists profiled by Austrade for the world promotion ‘Images of Australia’ marketing campaign
- Rumbulara Football Carnival photographs featured at VISYCOPY in Melbourne
- Artwork featured at the National Indigenous Health Awards (Sydney)
- Exhibition of photographs at Garma Festival (Northern Territory)
- Reconciliation Australia photographic tour
- All About Us Photographic Project
- Indigenous leadership forum
- 4AAA Indigenous Youth Project
- Across the Great Divide Tour
- OXFAM
- Russell Crowe New York Shoot
- 40th Anniversary 1967 Referendum
- 2008 NAIDOC week
- Aboriginal Tourism Expo Sydney
- Aboriginal Tourism Expo Germany
- Victorian Tourism
- Dreamtime at the G
- Koori Business Network
- Department of Education Science & Training
- Aboriginal Land & Economic Project – Hissing Swan
- Brock Foundation
Exhibitions 2008/2011
- United Nations, New York
- National Museum, Canberra
- Australian Embassy Cairo, Egypt
- Art Place Berlin, Germany
- NAB Docklands/Adelaide/Perth/Brisbane
- Parliament House, Canberra
- Museum of Young Art Vienna, Austria
- Artisty Gallery, Melbourne
- Australian Embassy Mexico City, Mexico
- Nellie Caston Gallery, Melbourne
- Manningham Gallery
- Australian Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia
- Boscia Gallery
- Incinerator Gallery
- Cologne , Germany
- Ngarpin (Sorry) Exhibition Koori Heritage Trust, Melbourne Town Hall, Incinerator Gallery
- Art for a Cause London/Melbourne/Adelaide
- W12 Melbourne
- Melbourne Town Hall
- Koori Business Network Photographic Exhibition
- KPMG Art Collection
- Victorian Indigenous Art Awards
- NAB Brisbane
Magazine/Radio/Television Features
- Emirate Airlines
- Marie Claire (Europe)
- Early Childhood Magazine
- Ethiad Airways
- Etchings Magazine
- Tiger Airways
- Girlfriend Magazine
- BOSS Magazine
- QANTAS In-flight Magazine
- Deadly Vibe
- Koori Mail
- National Indigenous Times
- Qantas In-flight Television welcome to country on International Flights
- Australian, Age, Sunday Sun, Herald Sun, Financial Review, Leader Group
- ABC Television and Radio
- Radio National
- Indigenous radio
- Message Stick
Latest News
G’Day USA is thrilled to partner with A.Professor Wayne Quilliam, one of Australia’s most respected Indigenous photographers/artist/curators and cultural advisers for the 10th Anniversary G’Day USA Black Tie Gala in Los Angeles on January 12th. He will join Elle McPherson, John Travolta and Paul Hogan on this night of nights as his extraordinary imagery of Australia provides a vivid and evocative visual foundation at the celebrated event.
Quilliam’s stunning and provocative work has been recognized throughout Australia and internationally. His award winning career includes the coveted Indigenous Artist of the Year, Business of the Year and numerous photographic and art awards. Wayne is the winner of the Human Rights Media Award a prestigious Walkley Award and nominated as a Master of Photography by National Geographic.
He has created and curated over 130 exhibitions throughout the world and been published in more than 1000 magazines, books and newspapers. Wayne is currently a National Ambassador for the Year of Literacy, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and Reconciliation Australia. He will also open a new exhibition in New York on the 18th of January at the Australian Embassy.
Perpetually fascinated by his culture and the sense of inclusion and belonging Wayne continuously strives to unifying subject and audience through his artwork. “I describe my art as ‘Ideas people belong to’, each and every artwork has a different persona which encourage people to belong to a concept, belong to the creation stories, and belong to our culture, a culture of morphosis”. “The opportunity to again showcase my work to United States is an honour. The G’Day LA visuals are centred on my landscape artwork, the beauty of our nature and the land we nurture. The New York show will be a combination of three different styles of work Nudes, Culture and Earth”.
Aboriginal photographic artist Wayne Quilliam will feature as one of the twelve artists selected to feature on Stip Billboards 'The Long and Short of it'
