Bio and CV

Artist Bio

Lucy Bleach’s art practice focuses on humanity’s enduring relationships to volatile environments by engaging with communities that directly experience such interactions and with scientists who monitor the earth’s motion. She generates artworks where processes are contingent on geological force and which anticipate their own ensuing instability and transformation. She works across sculptural forms, living elements, sound, light and moving image, and uses her practice to initiate unpredictable outcomes, investigate transitions of matter, and slow the process of material collapse.

Lucy’s practice spans curated exhibitions, festival commissions, community collaborations, curatorial projects, published writing and lecture presentations. She has produced solo commissioned and collaborative works, exhibited nationally and internationally, and undertaken research projects in geologically unstable regions in Iceland, the Azores, Italy, Japan, Hawaii and Vanuatu.

Her professional practice includes academic positions in tertiary teaching and research, creative direction and project management for festival organisations, and independent mentoring of emerging and early career artists. She has held voluntary programming positions within local arts organisations, and engaged as a peer assessor for local and national organisations and funding bodies.

Curriculum Vitae

Qualifications and Academic Positions

1990 Bachelor Fine Arts, COFA, University of New South Wales
2007 Master of Fine Arts, Tasmanian College of the Arts, University of Tasmania
2007-16 Lecturer in Fine Arts, University of Tasmania
2016-19 Senior Lecturer in Fine Arts, University of Tasmania

Selected Exhibition History

2025
an infrasonorous archipelago. Walk&Talk Biennial. Sao Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal (September)
2023
On the Nature of Things. Soil Propositions. The EARTH Project. Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens.
soft rock monitoring (the slow seismogenic zone). EARTHEN. Cement Fondu Gallery, Sydney
2022
on this shore. Front Beach Back Beach. Temporary Public Art Commissions. Mornington Peninsula. Curated by David Cross
2021
by this lake. Commissioned artwork for RISING Festival. Golden Square Carpark. Melbourne. Curated by Grace Herbert
attenuated ground (the slow seismogenic zone). TarraWarra Biennial. TarraWarra Museum of Art, Victoria. Curated by Nina Miall
brothers. Composing Archipelagos. Contemporary Art Tasmania. Curated by Jasmin Stephens
rueremus. Commissioned artwork for Mona Foma 2021. Hobart
2020
call and response (the slow seismogenic zone). Process-based experimentation with Wendy Morrow and Jon Smeathers
sampling (the slow seismogenic zone). The Habitat of Time. Arts Catalyst Gallery. London. Curated by Julie Louise Bacon
2019
dark mirror. Women’s Art Prize Tasmania. Finalist
acts of care. Visual dramaturgy with choreographer and dancer Sofie Burgoyne. Tasdance
2018
variations on an energetic field. The Unconformity Festival, Queenstown
phase transition. The Return, curated by Stevie S. Han. Dark Mofo
2017
something more solid. Remanence, Ten Days on the Island Festival, Domain House, Tasmania
2016
night garden (Triabunna and Hobart). Live Site Catalyst for Dark Mofo
2015
underground. Contemporary Art Tasmania Solo Commission. Contemporary Art Tasmania, Hobart
superslow. Tasmanian International Arts Festival, Salamanca Arts Centre. Hobart
remote viewing. Performing Mobilities, the Australian cluster contribution to the PSI 2015 project Fluid States
radiant heat. Dark Mofo, Hobart
horizontal slowness. Collaboration with Narelle Jubellin. Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, Sydney
2014
airfall. Witness. Linden Gallery, Melbourne. Curator Kit Wise.
crymeariver. Collaborative project with John Vella. Heavy Metals Project, Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania
2013
dirty big whole. Collaborative project with John Vella. Constance A.R.I. Hobart
unfinished business. You, Me and Every Space We Know. Outward Gallery, Launceston.
lag. Augmentor, Outward Gallery, Launceston.
homeopathy. Domain – a Contested Landscape, Ten Days on the Island Festival, Domain House, Tasmania
2012
the third space. In collaboration with Narelle Jubelin, CWA Art projects, Hobart. Curated by Paula Silva
2011
local colour. Devonport Regional Gallery Solo Commissioned Exhibition
homing. Iteration Again. Hobart. Curated by  David Cross
volcano lover. Star/Dust Contemporary Art Solo Commission, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
2010
GREENhorn. Green, Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart
2009
oral Fibre, 4th Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan
blue peter. Immense Views, Innovators 3, Linden Gallery, Melbourne
drawn. Trust, Ten Days on the Island Festival, Clarendon House, Evandale, Tasmania
2008
municipality. KINGS A.R.I., Melbourne
revues des deux mondes. INFLIGHT Gallery, Hobart
nature is a language can’t you read. Companion Planting, CAST Gallery, Hobart. Curator Jack Robins
2007
circumnarrative. an other place, Long Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, Ten Days on the Island Festival. Curator Sean Kelly
reserved. Port Arthur Project, Port Arthur Historic Site, Ten Days on the Island Festival

Selected Curatorial Projects

2023 Field Trip. Artist+Scientist research & development project. Beaker Street Festival. Co-curated with Theia Connell
2022 Boundaries. Tess Campbell and Sam Mountford. Contemporary Art Tasmania
2019 ¢ompo$t. Dark Mofo and Constance ARI. Co-curated with Nadege Philippe-Janon
2012 FOREPLAY. Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart. Co-curated with Geoff Parr
2010 Green. Plimsoll Gallery, Hobart. Co-curated with Geoff Parr and Rebecca Stevens
2009 Lust for Life. Contemporary Arts Tasmania

Selected Residencies

2024 Hafnarborg Art Centre, Iceland
2024 Internship with Instituto de Investigação em Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos (IVAR), University of Azores
2020 Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto; Japan
2014 Stromboli Volcano; Herculaneum; British School in Rome, Italy
2012 Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, United States
2010 Mt Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu
2009 Echigo Tsumari region, Japan.

Awards/Commissions/Grants

2023 Creative Australia – Individual Projects – International Research and Development Residency, Iceland
2023 Arts Tasmania – Individual Projects – International Research and Development Residency, Azores, Portugal
2022 Individual Projects (for the Soil Lab team), Australia Council for the Arts
2020 Resilience: Create Grant, Australia Council for the Arts
2017 Artist Investment Grant (Individual), Arts Tasmania
2017 Tasmanian Community Fund, Live Site Catalyst
2015 OLT Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Federal Office for Learning and Teaching
2015 Ian Potter Arts funding, Midlands Restoration Project. Tasmania
2012 Skills and Development Grant, Australia Council for the Arts
2011 Star/Dust Contemporary Art Commission. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery/Detached
2010 Qantas Award for Contemporary Arts 
2010 New Work Grant, Australia Council for the Arts
2009 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan
2009 Asialink Visual Arts Residency, Japan
2008 Professional Development Grant, Australia Council for the Arts
2008 New Work Grant, Arts Tasmania
2005 Australian Postgraduate Award, University of Tasmania
2004 Professional Development Grant, Arts Tasmania
1992 Professional Development Grant, Australia Council for the Arts

Mentorship / Committees

2024-25 Artistic Directorate/Mentor. Next Wave Festival
2023 Mentor for CoLab Art&Science high-school art program. Beaker Street Festival
2022-2023 Constellations Mentor. Contemporary Art Tasmania
2022 SITUATE 22-23 provocateur
2022 Mentor in Residence. Visual Bulk
2021 SITUATE provocateur
2019 SHOTGUN mentor. Contemporary Art Tasmania
2016 – 2017 Art Committee member, Glenorchy Art and Sculpture Park (GASP).
2012 – 2016 Peer assessor for the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council
2013 – 2017 Heavy Metal Project Committee member, MONA
2006 – 2012 Program Committee member, Contemporary Art Tasmania