Virginia Settre
Visual Artist: Australia
Virginia Settre explores the interplay between place and culture in her artistic practice. Drawing from the awareness that her heritage lies in a far distant place, she grapples to reconcile inherited cultural perspectives with the degradation of land in the country where she was born.
Virginia lives on the South Coast of NSW, where coastal forests meet lofty sandstone escarpments- Dhurawal country. Much of this land has been cleared for farming, urbanisation or industry, and Virginia questions the cultural lens through which the colonial mindset perceives it’s right to negate and violate ecological environments.
Environmental issues and the corruption of ecological nature has been a constant theme in Virginia’s art works, and this is inspired through a childhood enjoying the great outdoors with her mother, who was a keen bushwalker and environmentalist. In the 1970’s and 80’s Virginia’s mum actively promoted ideas of recycling household rubbish and reclaiming/reusing materials. This feeds through to Virginia’s textile installations that utilise reclaimed materials.
Virginia’s photographs and paintings have been exhibited in Australia and Hong Kong. Virginia has curated several art exhibitions in her regional home of The Illawarra, just south of Sydney, most notably working with Wollongong Art Gallery and Wollongong Council’s Cultural Development team. She enjoys the unique narratives found in regional Australia and works to broker opportunities for emerging creatives to develop their own relevant vernacular.
During her Honours Degree at Curtin University, Virginia developed Stereoscopic imagery and collaborated with Product Designer Paul Roos to produce viewing devices for her images. By looking through the chambers of a stereoscope one is compelled into the act of looking. The 3D imagery seems real and conceptually this forges the idea that we perceive images (of nature) through our own cultural lens.
Virginia’s early career revolved around theatre and film production where she applied her talent in building period costume, corsets, and millinery. Most notable is her contracts with Jak Productions- Star Wars as well as Bazmark Productions- Moulin Rouge. Virginia also worked with Opera Australia and several other theatre companies and productions in Sydney.
Selected exhibitions and curatorial projects
Qualifications Curtin University Western Australia
Honours Degree Fine Art - 2017
Bachelor of Fine Art and Visual Culture - 2016
Major in Painting and Photography
TAFE New South Wales
Advance Diploma of Fine Art - 2009
Major in Painting and Photography
Awards Winsor and Newton Studio Art Grant - Shortlisted, 2015
Winner, People’s Choice Award - Lingua Loca, 2010
City of Sydney - City of Villages Award - Finalist, 2009
Collections Wollongong Art Gallery- Photographic suite The Family Gender, 2021
Exhibitions & Curatorial
2022: UPSURGE: ART EMERGE- Curator and Event Producer
15 artist group exhibition, pop-up giant marquee- Cultural Precinct
Wollongong Art Gallery and City Council Cultural Development Team
2022: Inaugural Opening Exhibition- Dawe Gallery, Kiama
Group exhibition
2021: LORE, Group exhibition, Wollongong Art Gallery
Suite of photographic artworks in convex glass frames
2020: Emergence- Project Contemporary Art Space, Wollongong
Dual exhibition- paintings
2019: Affordable Art Fair: Hong Kong. Represented by Global Gallery
Public Art Installation: textile – Leg’s on the Wall
The Edge on Greenway – Sydney (Inner-west Council Initiative)
2018: Solo Exhibition – Land-Scope. Scratch Gallery, Sydney
Egg and Dart Group Show-
Egg and Dart Gallery - Wollongong
Large scale textile Installation – Siteworks, Bundanon Trust
Presentation of Stereoscope Collaborative Project – Artist Talk
Wollongong Art Gallery
2017: Feast: IAVA (Illawarra Ass. Visual Arts) Group Show
Belconnen Art Centre – Canberra
Curatorial 2017: Assistant Curator – Feast: Belconnen Art Centre
Egg and Dart Group Show-
Egg and Dart Gallery - Wollongong
2016: Belonging: IAVA (Illawarra Ass. Visual Arts) Group Show
Project Contemporary Art Space - Wollongong
Egg and Dart Group Show-
Egg and Dart Gallery - Wollongong
Hong Kong Contemporary Art Show
Conrad Hilton- Hong Kong
Resonance - Three Artists exhibition of recent works
Clifton Gallery / School of Arts - Northern Illawarra
Scarborough Art Show - Finalist
Scarborough - Northern Illawarra
2015: A Bit Blue - Group Exhibition
GKJE Galleries - Sydney
Group Exhibition
Egg and Dart Gallery - Wollongong
IAVA Showcase - Group Exhibition
Illawarra Association of Visual Arts
Parliament House NSW, Sydney
Scarborough Art Show - Finalist
Scarborough - Northern Illawarra
Curatorial 2015: Curators Assistant - Sculptural Felt International Travelling Exhibition
Tamworth Regional Gallery - Wollongong Art Gallery
Curatorial 2014: Curator: Multicultural Communities Council Illawarra,
Refugee Youth Art Exhibition. Kiama Gallery - Illawarra
2013: 30 x 30 - IAVA Group Exhibition
The Hanging Space Gallery - Northern Illawarra
Lingua Loca - Group Exhibition
Project Art Space - Wollongong
On the Verge - Group Exhibition
Studio 19 Gallery - Wollongong
Curatorial 2013: Curator, Wollongong City Gallery
Contemporary Art Exhibition: Me, the Road and I; Narratives of Refugee Passage and Identity
2012: Kesa Jolu, Atelier Settre & Välimäki, Recent Artwork
The Hanging Space Gallery - Northern Illawarra
Local / Current - Group Exhibition,
Wollongong City Art Gallery
Art Panels Project, Public Art installation
Wollongong Art Gallery
Habitat / Artefact, IAVA Group Exhibition,
Project Contemporary Art Space - Wollongong
The Hold - Work in Progress & Exhibition
Project Contemporary Art Space - Wollongong
South - Solo Exhibition
Clifton Gallery Northern Illawarra
IAVA Group Exhibition of recent works
The Hanging Space Gallery - Northern Illawarra
Curatorial 2012: Curator and Gallery Coordinator – 12-month tenure
The Hanging Space Gallery – Northern Illawarra
Earlier Exhibitions
2011 Meroogal Women's Art Prize, Nowra City Gallery – Shoalhaven
2011 Group Show, The Hanging Space Gallery, Illawarra
2010 Solo Exhibition, MCCI (Multicultural Communities Council) Illawarra
2009 Scarborough School Art Exhibition Finalist
2009 Thirroul Seaside Festival Art Prize Finalist
2008 Finalist, City of Sydney, City of Villages Award, Sydney
2008 Winner, People's Choice Award, Group Show Lingua Loca
2008 Thirroul Seaside Festival Art Prize Finalist
2008 Solo – Displace, Project Contemporary Art Space, Wollongong
2007 Meroogal Women's Art Prize, Nowra City Gallery – Shoalhaven
2007 Lingua Loca, Group Show, Project Contemporary Art Space