Artists

Stephen Pleban

Bio  /  CV

Stephen Pleban is an established artist who completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts (1986) and a Postgraduate degree from the Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Rotterdam (1995). Stephen has had ten solo exhibitions, the most recent being at Gallery Smith in Melbourne (2024) and at Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney (2023). His work was recently shown at the Sydney and Melbourne Contemporary Art Fairs (2023, 2024) and has been exhibited in over 50 group shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, in various regional galleries, and internationally. He was finalist in a number of prestigious art prizes including the Len Fox Prize (2019-24), The Glover Prize (2020), the Calleen Art Award (2023, 2014), the Kilgour Prize (2019), and the Paddington Art Prize (2016). Stephen is represented by Gallery Smith in Melbourne and Martin Browne Contemporary in Sydney.

Educational Qualifications

1983-86                          Victorian College of the Arts,    Bachelor of Fine Art

1994-95                          Academie Van Beeldende Kunsten, Rotterdam, Postgraduate

2002-03                          University of Ballarat, Master of Fine Art (incomplete)

Exhibitions

1987                                 Murdoch Travelling Fellowship, Mornington Art Gallery

1988                                 Ten New Artists, 70 Arden Street, North Melbourne

                                           Le Quattro Stagioni (Four Artists, Four Approaches, Four Mediums), the          Warehouse, North Melbourne

1989                                 Three-person exhibition, Judith Pugh Gallery

                                           Second contemporary Art Fair, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne

1994                                 Solo exhibition, West Space, Footscray

1995                                 Solo exhibition, De Kooning Academie Rotterdam, Netherlands

                                           Group exhibition, Gallerie Maurits van der Laar, Den Haag, Netherlands

                                           Contemporary Art Fair, Belgium

1996                                 Group exhibition, Gesprek met Vermeer, Museum Prinsenhof, Delft, Netherlands

1997                                 Shell Art Prize, Williamstown

                                           City of Moonee Valley Contemporary Art Prize

1998                                 City of Moonee Valley Contemporary Art Prize

                                           Coalesce, Diane Tanzer Gallery, Fitzroy

2002                                 Masters/Phd Exhibition, Post Office Gallery, Ballarat

2003                                 Post card exhibition, Linden Gallery, St Kilda

                                           Solo exhibition, In Vivo, Post Office Gallery, Ballarat

2004                                 Masters/Phd Exhibition, Post Office Gallery, Ballarat

                                           Solo Exhibition, In Vivo, Span Gallery, Melbourne

2005                                 Group exhibition, Art for Science, Nellie Castan Gallery, South Yarra

2008                                 John Leslie Art Prize, Sale Art Gallery

                                           Art Deco Postcard Exhibition, Post Office Gallery, Ballarat

2009                                 Williamstown Contemporary Art Prize

                                           Flanagan Contemporary Art Prize, Ballarat

2010                               Williamstown Contemporary Art Prize

                                           Group exhibition, Weather Project Space 22, Ballarat

2011                                 Solo exhibition, Lake Surfaces, The Art Gallery of Ballarat

2011                                 Group exhibition, Orbit, Space 22, Ballarat

2011                              Flanagan Contemporary Art Prize, Ballarat

2012                              Unicorn Art Space, Ballarat

2013                              Flanagan Contemporary Art Prize, Ballarat

2014                              Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Ballarat Fine Art Gallery

2014                              Finalist Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery NSW, Highly Commended

2015                              Belle Arti Prize, Bailey Gallery Abbotsford

2015                              Flanagan Contemporary Art Prize, Ballarat

2016                              Belle Art Prize, Bailey Gallery, Abbotsford.

2016                              Miniature Immensities, Kingston Art Centre

2016                              Finalist, Paddington Art Prize, Sydney

2017                              Finalist, Kennedy Art Prize, Adelaide

2017                              BOAA Artist, What’s in the box? Melbourne

2018                              Solo exhibition, Biennale of Australian Art, 2018.

2019                              Finalist, Len Fox Art Award, Castlemaine Art Museum.

2019                              Finalist, Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery

2019                               Finalist, Kennedy Art Award, Adelaide

2020                              Group exhibition 1.5 Degree,s Forty Five Down Stairs, Melbourne

2020                                Finalist, Glover Art Prize, Tasmania

2021                              Group exhibition, The Nude Exhibition, Project Gallery 90, Sydney

2021                              Solo exhibition, Project Gallery 90, Sydney

2021                              Finalist Tatiara Art Prize, Walkway Gallery, South Australia

2022-23                          Martin Browne Contemporary, Summer Group Exhibition, Sydney

2022                            Solo exhibition, Thinking of a Place, @Gallery Australia

2023                            Group exhibition: Past, Present and Future, GallerySmith Melbourne

2023                            Solo exhibition, Half the Day is Night, Martin Browne Contemporary Sydney

2023                            Solo exhibition, Gallery Smith, Melbourne

2023                            Finalist Len Fox Art Prize Castlemaine Museum

2024                            Solo exhibition: Finding Sanctuary, Martin Browne Contemporary Sydney

2024                           Group exhibition: Yudian Gallery China, Beyond Generation Z

Prizes

1991                                 National Art Prize, The Australian newspaper

1983                                 Sarah Levy Painting Prize, Victorian College of the Arts: Victorian National Art Gallery

1990                                 VTU Art Prize, Caulfield Art Gallery

1999                                 City of Moonee Valley Art Prize

2014                              Calleen Art Award NSW, Highly Commended

Work