About the Artist
Bio
Michael Simms is a multi-award winning queer artist based in Sydney on Gadigal Country. His paintings range from portraiture and landscape work, to explorations of queer culture and identity in the digital age. Michael completed a degree in psychology in his hometown of Adelaide before winning a scholarship for Sydney’s Julian Ashton Art School. In 2018, he was awarded the Royal Art Society of NSW Young Artist Prize and the inaugural SBS Portrait Prize. He’s been a finalist in major art awards, including the Darling Prize, Moran and Kilgour prizes - and has put several notable Australians onto canvas including Thomas Keneally, Liz Ellis, Paul Capsis and Genevieve Lemon.
Education
2011 - 2014 Diploma of Fine Arts, The Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney (Recipient of the Sydney Mechanics School of Art Scholarship)
2006 - 2011 Bachelor of Behavioural Science and Bachelor of Arts, Flinders University, Adelaide
Solo Exhibitions
2023 Stages WorldPride, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Sydney (upcoming)
2022 Memories and Dust, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2022 Stages, Manning Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2021 Distance, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne (online)
2021 Epoch, Frances Keevil, Sydney (online)
2020 Drive, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2018 Interfacing, Stanley Street Gallery, Sydney
2017 Brink, Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne
2016 Reverie, ArtWorld Studio Gallery, Brisbane
Select Group Exhibitions
2022 Glow, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2021 Home, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2020 A Passion Shared | The ELLIOTT EYES COLLECTION, Maitland Regional Gallery, NSW
2020 Artists To Watch, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2020 Still, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2019 Nude, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2019 Equus, Frances Keevil Gallery, Sydney
2019 Fringe, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2018 Undercurrents, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2018 Interfacing, Stanley Street Gallery, Sydney
2018 Temporal, Lethbridge Gallery (Bulimba), Brisbane
2017 The Other Art Fair, Australian Technology Park Eveleigh, Sydney
2017 Medley II, Gaffa Gallery, Sydney
2017 Exploration 17, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2017 Virtual Connections, No 1 Martin Place (Mezzanine Floor), Sydney
Select Awards and Prizes
2022 The Darling Prize, National Portrait Gallery, ACT – Finalist
2022 The Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2021 The Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2021 The Clayton Utz Art Prize, Clayton Utz, QLD – Finalist
2021 The Naked and Nude Art Prize, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2021 The Lethbridge 20,000 Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, QLD – Finalist
2021 The SBS Portrait Prize, Southern Buoy Studios, VIC – Finalist
2020 The Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega Valley Regional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2020 The Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery, QLD - Finalist
2020 The Percival Tucker Portrait Prize, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, QLD – Finalist
2020 The Global Art Awards, Shanghai, China – Finalist
2019 The Naked and Nude Art Prize, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW – Highly Commended
2019 Melt Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse Museum, QLD – Highly Commended
2019 Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Art Centre, NSW – Finalist
2019 EMSLA Still Life Award, Project Contemporary Artspace, NSW – Finalist
2019 The 14th International ARC Salon, Art Renewal Center, USA - Finalist
2019 Lethbridge 20,000 Art Prize, Lethbridge Gallery, QLD – Finalist
2019 Kennedy Art Prize, Kennedy Arts Foundation, SA – Finalist
2018 The Young Artist Prize, The Royal Art Society of NSW - Winner
2018 SBS Portrait Prize, Southern Buoy Studios, VIC – Winner
2018 EBNA 2018 First Prize, YSC Consultancy, NSW – Winner
2018 EBNA 2018 People’s Choice, YSC Consultancy, NSW - Winner
2018 Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2018 Hurford Harwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2018 Melt Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse, QLD – Finalist
2018 Hunters Hill Art Prize, Hunters Hill Town Hall, NSW – Finalist
2017 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, NSW – Finalist
2017 Lethbridge 10,000 Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery, QLD – Highly Commended
2017 Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Galley, NSW – Finalist
2017 EBNA, YSC Consultancy, NSW – Highly Commended
2017 Fisher’s Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown Arts Centre, NSW – Finalist
2017 Lyn McCrea Drawing Prize, Noose Regional Gallery, QLD – Finalist
2017 Manning Art Prize, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW – Finalist
2017 Marie Ellis Drawing Prize, Jugglers Art Space, QLD – Finalist
2017 Contemporary Art Awards, QLD – Finalist
2016 Cliftons Sydney Art Prize, Cliftons Sydney – Winner
2016 Cliftons Sydney People’s Choice Award, Cliftons Sydney – Winner
2016 Who Is Looking At You Portrait Prize, Cambridge Studio Gallery, VIC – Winner
2016 Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth – Finalist
2016 Emerging Artist Award, Fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne – Finalist
2016 Percival Tucker Portrait Prize, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville – Finalist
2016 Blacktown Art Prize, Blacktown Arts Centre, Sydney – Finalist
2016 Marie Ellis Drawing Prize, Jugglers Art Space, Brisbane – Finalist
2016 Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, Cowra - Finalist Contemporary Art Awards, Brisbane – Finalist
2016 ArtWorld Studio Portrait Prize, ArtWorld Studio Gallery, Brisbane - Highly Commended
Select Publications and Media
The Adelaide Advertiser, ‘Fielding an Electric Talent’, June 2022
The Music, ‘Top Talents to Watch in 2018’, January 2018
Talking With Painters The Podcast, Episode 24, 2017
ABC Weekend Breakfast, 15 October 2017
The Guardian Australia, 11 October 2017
Residencies
2021 The Broken Hill Art Exchange
2019 The New York Academy of Art Summer Undergraduate Residency Program
2019 Artist in Residence at St Patrick’s College, Srathfield
2019 Artist in Residence at Champagnat College, Pagewood
Collections
The Elliott Eyes Collection, Sydney
The Thomas Keneally Centre at the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Art
YSC Consultancy, Sydney
Cliftons Venues, Sydney
St Patrick’s College Strathfield, Sydney
Champagnat College Pagewood, Sydney