Bio

Clare Toms is a visual artist based between Melbourne and Mexico. Whilst frequently working with photography and installation, her practice is focussed primarily on painting. Clare shows internationally with Copro Gallery in Los Angeles and also exhibits throughout Australia. Other international projects include a recent group show in Berlin, her inclusion in a travelling exhibition which traversed the Trans-Siberian Railway (Beijing to Moscow) and the inclusion of an installation piece as part of a Mexico City Arts Festival. A regular finalist in significant art prizes, in 2015 Clare was successful in winning the Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize the same year that she was invited to produce work for acquisition into the Luciano Benetton Collection - the Benetton Foundation. Clare’s work has been acquired into private collections across Australia and overseas.

Conceptually Clare’s work explores themes of intangible and physical transience and our interconnectedness with the environment, through the creation of contemporary, secular memento-mori pieces and more recently still-life. Travel, transience, and the environment are important themes in her work, with travel playing a significant part in the process of conceptual development. Clare has worked on various side projects such as an international collaboration, teaching visual arts and working with primary school children as part of an Intercultural art exchange program between Australia and Peru.

Prizes

2015  Winner Lethbridge 10 000 Art Prize - Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2012  Highly Commended Prize - Stanthorpe Regional Gallery, Stanthorpe Australia.
2007  Ord Minnett Prize - best body of work across all disciplines in the Bachelor of Fine Art, Griffith University.
2006  Academic Achievement Award - Griffith University, Australia.
2001  ArtExpress - Touring Art award for HSC Students, NSW Australia.

Collections

2015  The Benetton Foundation - Acquisition into Imago Mundi - commissioned by Luciano Benetton

Finalist

2018  Stanthorpe Art Prize, Stanthorpe Australia. 
2014  Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Coffs Harbour, Australia.
2014  Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, Postcard Prize, Melbourne.
2014  Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2013  Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2012  Lethbridge 10000 Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2011  Lethbridge Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2010  Bowness Photographic Prize, Monash Gallery of Art, Victoria
2010  Waterhouse Prize, International Natural History Art Prize, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia.
2010  Stanthorpe Regional Gallery Prize, Stanthorpe Regional Gallery, Stanthorpe Australia.
2009  Portrait Prize - GI Gallery Exhibition, Australia.
2008  Portrait Prize - GI Gallery Exhibition, Australia.
2007  Glen Archies Portrait Prize - Glen Innes Gallery, Australia.

Solo Exhibitions

2021  Essence - Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2020  Parallel - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2019  Evoke - Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2010  Solo Show ‘Journey’ - Glen Innes Art Gallery, Australia.

Group Exhibitions

2022  Small Works 2022, Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2022  Lucid 2022, Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2022 Interconnected, Exhibition curated by Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale Australia.
2021  Dark Art 2021 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2021  Happy Place - Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2021  Aloha Mr Hand - Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2021  Summer 2021 - Metro Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2021  Brink - Antler Gallery, Portland USA.
2020  Thinkspace Scope Miami Art Fair 'The Price of Everything & The Value of Nothing' group exhibition
2020  Thinkspace Gallery @ Scope Art Fair, Miami USA|
2020  Mother Earth - Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2020  Antipodes 2020 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2020  Copro Gallery LA Art Show Group Exhibition
2020  Copro Gallery Booth 1213 @LA Art Show, Los Angeles USA.
2020  7th Annual Exploring the New Contemporary Movement - Thinkspace Gallery @ POW!WOW! Hawaii Mural Festival, Hawaii USA.
2019  Summer Group Exhibition - Metro Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2019  Thinkspace Scope Miami Art Fair Group Show - Thinkspace Gallery Booth F05@Scope Art Fair, Miami USA.
2019  Moniker Art Fair London - Thinkspace Gallery (LA) 12x12 Group Exhibition, London England.
2019  LAX / ORD II - Thinkspace Gallery (LA) curated show at Vertical Gallery, Chicago USA.
2019  Dark Art 2019 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2019  LAX / SFO III - Thinkspace Gallery (LA) curated show at Heron Arts, San Francisco USA.
2019  Exploring the New Contemporary Movement - Thinkspace Gallery @ POW!WOW! Hawaii Mural Festival, Hawaii USA.
2019  LA Art Show Group Exhibition - Copro Gallery Booth 143 @ LA Art Show, Los Angeles USA.
2019  Summer Collection, Metro Gallery, Melbourne Australia
2019  Artists Showcase, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2018  Scope Art Fair Group Show - Thinkspace Gallery Booth F05 @ Scope Art Fair, Miami USA.
2018  Flow - Australian-based Artists Exhibition - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2018  Static Medium Curated Group Show - Gallery 1988, Los Angeles USA.
2018  BLAB! 13th Anniversary Show - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2018  Small Works 2018 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2018  Dark Art 2018 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2017  Underworld - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.Artist Showcase - Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2017  Loved to Death - Modern Eden, San Francisco USA. 
2017  Romancing the Skull - Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria Australia.
2017  BLAB! 12th Anniversary Show - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2017  Small Works 2017 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia. 
2016  Halcyon - Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
2016  Memento Mori: Skulls & Bones in Art - Huntington Beach Art Center, California USA.
2016  Small Works 2016 - Beinart Gallery, Melbourne Australia. 
2016  Summer Soiree - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2016  Still Life - Reanimating the Inanimate - Pine Rivers Art Gallery, Brisbane Australia. 
2016  Art Takes Times Square, New York USA.
2016  Cube Exhibition - Baker+Hesseldenz Gallery, Arizona USA.
2015  Summer Soiree - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2015  PAIN/TING - Open Walls Gallery, Berlin Germany.
2015  Exposure Award Digital Exhibition - The Louvre, Paris France.
2015  6x6 - Auguste Clown Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2015  Supergraph Graphic Art Fair - Signed & Numbered, Melbourne Australia.
2014  Halloween - Auguste Clown Gallery, Melbourne Australia.
2014  Supergraph Graphic Art Fair - Signed & Numbered, Melbourne Australia.
2014  Two - Just Another Project Space, Melbourne Australia.
2013  Guise Solo Show -19Karen Contemporary Artspace, Gold Coast Australia.
2013  20th Anniversary Show - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
2013  One - Just Another Project Space, Melbourne.
2013  Mighty Small - Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Australia.
2013  Brisbane Low Brow -Bleeding Heart Gallery, Brisbane.
2013  The Art of Cirque du Soleil - 19Karen Contemporary Artspace.
2012  Second Skin - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2012  Fleeting Bonds Solo Show - 19Karen Contemporary Artspace, Gold Coast Australia.
2012  Homage to Hollywood - 19Karen Contemporary Artspace, Gold Coast Australia.
2012  The Art of Spain -19Karen Contemporary Artspace, Gold Coast Australia.
2011  Trans-Siberian Arts Centre Travelling Exhibition (Beijing to Moscow).
2011  Black Christmas - Copro Gallery Los Angeles USA.
2011  Genesis to Revelations - Copro Gallery, Los Angeles USA.
2011  Danger Daze Issue 7 - Curated Nick Drake, Brisbane Australia
2010  Danger Daze Issue 6 - Curated Nick Drake, Brisbane Australia
2009  <1M - Flipbook Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2009  Segundo Aniversario - 5DMayo Experimental, QRO Mexico.
2009  CollecART - Museo Juguete Antiguo México, Mexico City.
2009  Introducing II - Brenda May Gallery, Danks St, Sydney.
2008  Sneaker Culture - Flipbook Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2008  BARI Brisbane Artist Run Initiative – KILN Gallery, Brisbane.
2008  We Make Good Pets - Metro Arts Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
2008  Memento Mori - Brenda May Gallery, Danks St, Sydney.
2008  Behind Glass - KILN Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2008  Tingalpa – Project Gallery QCA, Brisbane, Australia.
2008  Still Life - Brenda May Gallery, Danks St, Sydney, Australia.
2008  Brisscapes - Flipbook Gallery, Brisbane Australia.
2007  Exit Strategy – Queensland College of Art Brisbane, Australia.
2007  Glen Archies Portrait Prize - Glen Innes Gallery, Australia.
2007  One Night Only - Project Gallery QCA, Brisbane, Australia.
2006  Emerge - Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, Australia.
2006  Moving Art - New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale.

Publications

"Transience, Spirituality and Human Essence: An Interview with Clare Toms", Natalia Joruk, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Online, October 2020.
"Ballarat's 'Romancing the Skull' shows us beauty is bone deep", Alison Stieven-Taylor, Australian Financial Review, 29 September 2017, online.
"Hope and Love”, Fiona Purdon, U on Sunday Magazine, The Courier Sun Sunday Mail, 21 June 2015, p.30.
“The Nature Collection” The Exposure Photography Award, August 2015.
“Matters of Life and Death”, Tim Hannaford, Paradise Magazine - Gold Coast Bulletin, 10 Nov 2013, p.23.
“Viva Espana”, Marina Saint Martin, Paradise Magazine - Gold Coast Bulletin, 23 June 2012, p.23.
“Glen Artist in with a Chance”, Northern Daily Leader, June 2010.
“Clare Up For Major Art Prize”, Naomi Davidson, GI Examiner 2010.
“Clare’s Journey Leads to Solo Show”, Naomi Davidson, GI Examiner, February 2010.
ABC Radio, Solo Exhibition Interview, Kelly Fuller, February 2010.
“Close Encounter in Mexico”, Naomi Davidson, GI Examiner, May 2009.
ABC Radio, Live Interview from Mexico, Kelly Fuller, May 2009.
ABC Radio, Swine Flu Correspondence Live Interview from Mexico, Kelly Fuller, April 2009.
Exit Strategy Queensland College of Art Liveworm Studio 2007.

Education

2007 Bachelor of Fine Art (major in Oil Painting) Griffith University - Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, Australia.

Commissions Enquiry