About
Kate Rohde completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2001. Since then she has become known for her intensely colourful jewellery and sculptural object based practice, nowadays working predominately with resin and hand casting techniques.
Recent exhibitions include Luminous Realms, a solo survey of her work since 2006 at Craft, Magic Object; the 2016 Biennial of Australian Art at the Art Gallery of South Australia, 21st Century Heide at Heide Museum of Modern Art, and Obsessed: Compelled to make, at the Australian Design Centre. In 2015 she was a finalist in the Rigg Design Prize at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Other projects include collaborating with Sydney fashion house Romance was Born on their 2010/11 S/S collections Renaissance Dinosaur and 2011 A/W Fruits and Flowers. Her work is held in the collections of several institutions including the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia and Bendigo Art Gallery.
Kate is represented by Pieces of Eight Gallery, Melbourne and Culture Object in New York
Photo by Tobias Titz
Curriculum Vitae
Lives and works in Melbourne
Education:
1998 – 2001 Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours), Victorian College of the Arts
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2023 - Infinite Rainbow Hermes Sydney NSW
2022 - Monster mash Maitland Regional Art Gallery NSW
A pretty folly Riddoch Art Gallery & Cultural Centre SA
Creature comforts Frankston Art Centre VIC
Zootopia Stockroom Kyneton VIC
2019 - Little Gems Murray Albury Museum of Art Albury NSW
Eternally Ephemeral Tweed Regional Art Gallery Murwillumbah NSW
2018 – Monster MashBenalla Art Gallery Benalla VIC
Homegrown Pieces of Eight Gallery Melbourne VIC
2017 – Striking a rich vein Artspace at Realm, Ringwood, VIC
Art/Jewellery Ten Cubed, Melbourne, VIC
2016 – Luminous Realms Craft, Melbourne, VIC
Ornament Crimes 2 Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2015 – Golden Age Pieces of Eight, Melbourne, VIC
2013 – Ornament Crimes Pieces of Eight, Melbourne, VIC
2012 – Hybrid Geology Pieces of Eight, Melbourne, VIC
Atlantis Melbourne Art Fair, Karen Woodbury Gallery stand, Melbourne VIC
2010 – Fantasma Koishikawa Annex, University Museum, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
2009 – Crystalised Karen Woodbury Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
Kaiservilla University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD
2008 – Flourish TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville, VIC
2007 - In my nature Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2006 – Some kind of empire Gertrude Contemporary Art Space, Melbourne, VIC
Vicious Precious Latrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell, VIC
2005 – Chateau Fatale Westspace Inc., Melbourne, VIC
2004 – The Big Chill Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, ACT
Perfect Specimen Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2003 – Taxidermy Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2002 – Cabin Fever TCB art inc. Melbourne, VIC
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2023 - Myth Making Maitland Regional Art Gallery NSW
1001 Remarkable Objects Powerhouse Museum NSW
Strange Nature Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery TAS
Flourish Glen Eira City Council Gallery VIC
In the company of Morris Art Gallery of Ballarat VIC
Whence it came Divisions Gallery VIC
NERAM Fifty/50 New England Regional Art Museum NSW
2022 - We were made for these times Lismore Regional Gallery Lismore NSW
Myth making Horsham Regional Art Gallery Horsham VIC
Megacosm Project 8 VIC
Venus on the half shell Oigall Projects VIC
Baroquetopus Gertrude Contemporary VIC
2021 – Hundreds & Thousands Fremantle Art Centre Fremantle WA
Black & Gold Warrnambool Art Gallery Warrnambool VIC
New Assemblage 122 Gertrude street, Melbourne Design Week Melbourne VIC
2019 - Sublime Sea Rapture and Reality Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery Mornington VIC
Finkelstein Gallery presents Finkelstein Gallery Windsor VIC
Floribunda Newcastle Region Art Gallery Newcastle NSW
2018 – Curiouser & curiouser Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Bathurst NSW
Monster Mash Benalla Art Gallery Benalla VIC
Craftivism Shepparton Art Museum Shepparton VIC
Fantastical Worlds MAAS Museum Sydney NSW
This Wild Song Town Hall Gallery Hawthorn VIC
Deakin Small Sculpture Prize Deakin University Art Gallery Burwood VIC
Flame Seed Incinerator Art Space Willoughby NSW
Wild: Flora and fauna in Australian art Hawkesbury Regional Gallery Windsor NSW
Odile Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens Dandenong VIC
Chaos & Order RMIT Gallery Melbourne VIC
Obsessed: Compelled to make Australian Design Centre Sydney NSW
2017 – Regale Craft, Melbourne,VIC
Neon Summer Glasshouse Port Macquarie Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie, NSW
Animal Kingdom The Johnston Collection, Melbourne VIC
Collective Vision; 130 years Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, VIC
Crafting Civic Pride Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Horsham, VIC
2016 – Magic Object, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art Art Gallery of South Australia,
Adelaide SA
At home: Modern Australian Design Old Government House, Parramatta, NSW
Fantastic worlds Rockhampton Art Gallery, Rockhampton QLD
Wild thing: Animals in Contemporary Australian Art Mosman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Birds: Flight Paths in Australian Art Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery,
Mornington VIC
2015 – Rigg Design Prize National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC
21st Century Heide Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, VIC
Wunderkammer: The strange and the curious The University of Queensland Art
Museum, Brisbane QLD
2014 – Express Yourself; Romance was Born for kids National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne,
VIC
Transit Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Horsham, VIC
In Your Dreams Counihan Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2013 – Melbourne Now National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne VIC
Diorama Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong, NSW
Airborn McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, Langwarrin, VIC
Suspended in Pink Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Birmingham, United Kingdom
2012 – The rapture of death Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, VIC
Man and beast Rex Irwin Gallery, Sydney, NSW
The bride, the ship and the wardrobe (collaboration with Romance was Born)
The Johnston Collection, Melbourne, VIC
Like Casula Powerhouse, Sydney, NSW
Haunts and follies Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne VIC
McClelland sculpture survey and award McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery,
Langwarrin, VIC
2011 – Pagan Pop Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra ACT
Curious Colony S.H Ervin Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2010 – McClelland sculpture survey and award McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery,
Langwarrin, VIC
Your Move: Australian artists play chess Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo VIC
Shifting Sands Hazelhurst Regional Art Gallery, Gymea, NSW
Renaissance Dinosaur (collaboration with Romance Was Born) Karen Woodbury
Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
Curious Colony Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
2009 – Code Share Contemporary Art Centre (Šiuolaikinio Meno Centras) Vilnius, Lithuania
Mute relics Counihan Gallery, Melbourne
Quirky Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
Strange eden Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2008 – Handle with care: Adelaide Biennial of Australian art Art Gallery of South Australia,
Adelaide SA
Look: new perspectives on the contemporary collection National Gallery of Victoria,
Melbourne, VIC
Neo Goth: back in black The University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, QLD
New Millenium Lismore Regional Art Gallery, Lismore, NSW
Melbourne Artfair Kaliman Gallery Stall, Melbourne, VIC
New The University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane, QLD
The contemporary collage John Buckley Gallery, Melbourne VIC
2007 – Voiceless: I feel therefore I am Sherman Galleries, Sydney, NSW
Culture Trackers 24HR Art, Darwin, NT
Art & about AMP Forecourt, Sydney, NSW
Decadence, decay and the demimonde Home House, London, United Kingdom
4αXY Gallery 4A, Asia-Australia Art Centre, Sydney, NSW
B-side B Blindside ARI, Melbourne, VIC
2006 – Strange Cargo Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
Flaming Youth Orange Regional Art Gallery, Orange, NSW
Home Goal: Diversity in contemporary Australian art from the collection of Dr Dick
Quan Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst, NSW
Beckon Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts, Perth, WA
Shelf life MOP Projects, Sydney, NSW
Fantastic Voyage Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
The Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award Werribee Park, Werribee, VIC
2004 – She’s Crafty Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Material Fiction Blindside ARI, Melbourne, VIC
Supernatural (a collaboration with Kate Just) Horti Hall Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2003 – Home Sweet Home, Works from the Peter Fay Collection National Gallery of
Australia, Canberra, ACT
Animality The Blue Oyster Project Space, Dunedin, New Zealand
2002 – New Art Kaliman Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Creatures George Paton Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
Only the Lonely Block Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Awards:
2015 – Finalist, Rigg Design Prize
Finalist, Victorian Craft Award, Craft
2012 – Finalist, Mc Clelland Sculpture Survey and Award
2010 – Finalist, Mc Clelland Sculpture Survey and Award
2006 – Finalist, Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award
Finalist, Ripe: ANZ private bank / Art and Australia Emerging Artists Prize
2005 – Participant, ABN Amro Emerging Artists Prize
2004 – Postcard Prize Winner, Linden Postcard Show
2000 – National Gallery of Victoria Women’s Association Encouragement Award, VCA
Graduate Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts
Grants / Residencies / Commissions:
2017 – Gallery Heronswood Scupture Commission Heronswood historic house and garden,
Dromana, VIC
2016 – Australia Council for the Arts New work grant
2014 – Artist-in-Residence St Josephs College, Hunters Hill, New South Wales
Workshop facilitator Ernabella Arts, A.P.Y Lands, South Australia
Workshop facilitator Ikuntji Art Centre, Haasts Bluff, Northern Territory
2013 – Workshop facilitator Erub Erwer Meta (Darnley Island Art Centre) Torres Strait,
Queensland
Artist-in-residence Geelong Grammar School, Corio Campus
2010 – Australia Council for the Arts New work grant
2009 – Artist-in-Residence University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba
2008 – Arts Victoria Creation grant
Asialink Residency, Tokyo Wonder Site, Tokyo
2007 – Australia Council for the Arts Studio Residency, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
2006 – Culture Trackers Program, 24hr Art residency, Oenpelli, Northern Territory
2004 – Australia Council for the Arts new work grant
2003 – City of Melbourne Arts Grant
Collections:
Artbank
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of South Australia
Newcastle Region Art Gallery
The University of Queensland Art Museum
Bendigo Art Gallery
Deakin University
State Library of Victoria
Heide Museum of Modern Art
Gold Coast Art Gallery
Museum of Applied Arts and Science
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Bibliography:
Inga Walton Creatures great and small, Trouble Magazine Issue 147, July 2017
Stephen Todd Decorative arts making a comeback in design world, AFR magazine, February 21, 2017
Gillian Serisier I want this apartment to be f@#$*d up, Australian Design Review, April 4, 2017
Lisa Slade Magic Object Catalogue essay, February 2016
Simone LeAmon Rigg Design Prize Catalogue essay, September 2015
Din Heagney Rigg Design Prize NGV Gallery Magazine September/October 2015 pg 42 & 47
Simone LeAmon In Studio: Kate Rohde NGV Gallery Magazine, March/April 2015, pp. 34-41
Nicholas Forrest Kate Rohde’s psychedelic geological jewellery designs Blouin Artinfo, June 13 2013 http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/914083/kate-rohdes-psychedelic-geological-jewellery-designs
Lucy Feagins Ornament crimes The Design Files, June 10, 2013 http://thedesignfiles.net/2013/06/kate-rohde-ornament-crimes/
Georgie Moore The art of enchantment Issimo Magazine, June 19, 2013 http://www.issimomag.com/2013/06/19/kate-rohde/
Rachael Watts Atlantis Q&A MAF catalogue for Karen Woodbury Gallery, August 2012
Robert Nelson Melbourne Art Fair 2012 The Age, August 3, 2012
John Mangan Six burning questions for Kate Rohde The Age, July 29, 2012
Mik Grigg The chronicles of Fairhall The Age, July 8, 2012
Delima Shanti Kate Rohde’s hybrid geology Broadsheet April 23,2012
Megan Backhouse In the galleries The Age, April 21, 2012
Prue Gibson The rapture of death pp 38-39 & p 43 & p 67, Boccalatte, Sydney, 2010
Dan Rule Prehistory parades panache The Age, August 23, 2010
Robert Nelson Crystalised The Age, December 9, 2009
Ingrid Periz In my nature Australian Art Collector, Issue 50, October – December, pp.182-185
Prue Gibson Beastly tales Vogue Australia, March 2009
Lisa Slade Unnatural causes New catalogue essay, November 2008
Prue Gibson Sweet Mortality Australian Art Review, issue 17, November – January 2008/09, pp 62 – 64
Felicity Fenner Critic’s choice Australian Art Collector, issue 46, October – December 2008, p 132
Steven Alderton New Millenium New millennium catalogue essay, July 2008
Lisa Slade The thrall of the skull Neo goth: back in black catalogue essay, pp 25 – 26
Justine Khamara Kate Rohde: Flourish Artlink, volume 28, No. 3, 2008
Jenna Blyth An enclosed space Flourish catalogue essay, April 2008
Felicity Fenner Felicity Fenner speaks with eight artists from ‘Handle with care’ Art and Australia, volume 45, no.3, Autumn 2008, pp 344 – 349
Lisa Slade Responsible Hunting Handle with care catalogue essay, p 50
Jenna Blyth Kate Rohde Untitled: Portraits of Australian artists by Sonia Payes, pp 284 – 289, July 2007
Carmel Dwyer Collector: Dick Quan Australian Art Collector, Issue 41 July – September 2007
Daniel Palmer Looking back: solo shows Frieze Issue 104, January/February 2007
Kate Van Den Boogert Animal magnetism Vogue Living Australia, July/August 2007
Sebastian Smee Beastly goings on The Weekend Australian, March 2007
Tracey Clement Taxidermy meets mardi gras The Sydney Morning Herald, March 2007
Lisa Slade Return to wonder Strange cargo catalogue essay, October 2006
Rebecca Cannon Kate Rohde Un Magazine, issue 7, March 2006
Din Heagney Faux Chateau Nylon Magazine, March 2006
Pilar Arevalo Rohde kill Russh Magazine, November 2005
Margie Borschke Get the picture Harpers Bazaar Australia, September 2005
Dominique Angeloro Get Stuffed The Sydney Morning Herald, March 2004
Charmian Smith Gory Creations Pose Serious Questions Otago Daily Times, June 2003
Lenny Ann Low and Peter Hill Grin and Bare it The Sydney Morning Herald, April 2003