Irene Wellms is working as a full time artist since 1999. She lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Wellms made a Bachelor of Education Secondary Art &  Craft at the Melbourne University, Carlton in 1986. In 1999 she made a Diploma of Visual Art at the Victorian College of the Arts and finally a Master of Fine Art in 2001.

Irene Wellm is drawn to the underworld journey, and to explore dark and ambiguous narratives in her art. Although our society gives the positive and bright aspects far more emphasis and attention, the darker journeys undeniably provide an invaluable source of riches, and these are expressed  dramatically in her work. The ancients knew it as the Underworld, where the spirits dwelt. Today it is the inner, or psychological realm, where the creative activity is still uncanny and mysterious. The premise of the framework surrounding her art is to recognize religious and mythological concepts as symbolic, and interpret them psychologically. In doing so, it may indicate a subjective state, a psychological attitude, rather than an external/physiological one. In this vein, myth, like fairy tales, is understood as representing stages of consciousness, or psychological development. Within this framework, Wellm creates multi-layered narratives about recovering the feminine principle in a self-reflective way.

Solo Exhibitions

2012     The Momentum of Evolution, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Victoria Australia

2010     Her Fragrant Frown, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Collingwood, Australia
2009     Something Like Us, Catherine Asquith Gallery, Collingwood, VIC
2008     Dämmerung, Red Gallery, Fitzroy, Vic
2006     We of the Silent Dreaming, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne
2005     Fragmented Fantasies, Michael Carr Art Dealer. Woollahra, NSW
2004     Bedtime Stories, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne
2001     Threshold, Gallery 101, Melbourne

Group Exhibitions (selection)
2011     Korea & Australia 50 years friendship - anniversary art exhibition in Korea, Korea
           Foundation Cultural Centre, Seoul, South Korea
2011     Aura: The Haunted Family Image, L17 Art Space, Melbourne VIC
2010     Stan & Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, The Arts Centre Gold Coast, QLD
2010     St. George Art Award, Hurstville City Museum & Gallery, NSW
2010     Net Work – The TLF Exhibition, Art Gallery of Ballarat, VIC
2010     Belle Arti Art Award, Brisbane, QLD


Contact: www.irenewellm.com
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