Ella Barclay is a contemporary artist and writer based on unceded Ngunnawal Country, ACT, Australia. Working across installation, sculpture, performance, electronics and moving image, her immersive installation explore the terrestrial dimensions of network aesthetics and the lesser known histories of technological development. Recent exhibitions include Stacks and Sleeves, a PostHuman Landscape (2019), Experimenta Make Sense: International Triennial of Media Art (2017-2020), Curious and Curiouser, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (2018-19), Soft Centre, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Western Sydney (2018), Light Geist, Fremantle Art Centre (2016-17), Bodies Go Wrong, Orgy Park, NY (2016), That Which Cannot Not Be, Vox Populi, Philadelphia (2016), Almost, Instant 42, Taipei (2016), I Had to Do It, UTS Art, Sydney (2016) and Elemental Phenomena, Griffith University Art Museum, Brisbane(2015). Her work resides in numerous government, institutional, corporate and private collections and she has been the recipient of several commissions, residencies, scholarships and awards.
Solo Exhibitions
I HAD TO DO IT, UTS Gallery Sydney 2016
ALMOST PARTY W YUJUN YE
Instant 42, Taipei, Taiwan 2016
IF YOU DREAM THAT YOU ARE NAKED, YOU ARE NOT AWARE THAT YOU ARE DREAMING, 55 Sydenham Road, Sydney 2014
ELLA BARCLAY W STEVE MYKIETYN, curated by Christopher Hanrahan
MOP Sydney 2013
I WANT/YOUMADE, Artereal, Sydney 2013
BE STILL, I'M THINKING
db project Sydney 2013
NEW WORK
Artspace Studio 11, Sydney 2013
MAELSTROM STUDIES
curated by Kelly Robson for Gaffa, The Rocks, Sydney 2012
MAELSTROM STUDIES
Treasure Hill Artist Village Taipei, Taiwan 2011
QUICK DIP
db project Sydney 2010
VELLEITY STUDY
GRANTPIRRIE|WINDOW Sydney 2009
SHIT RIP
First Draft Gallery, Sydney 2009
CHORAL SWELL
MOP Projects Sydney 2009
RAVE JARS
Gaffa Gallery Sydney 2009
STONE SOUP
Gaffa Gallery Sydney 2009
RECENT Curated Exhibitions
STACKS AND SLEEVES: A POSTHUMAN LANDSCAPE curated by Rachael Kiang and George Adams, Gallery Lane Cove and Galerie PomPom, Sydney 2019
EXPERIMENTA MAKE SENSE INTERNATIONAL TRIENNIAL OF MEDIA ART, RMIT Gallery then Australian 3 year tour 2017-2021.
SOFT CENTRE, curated by Jemma Cole, Thorsten Hertog and Sam Whitehead, CPAC Sydney 2018
CURIOUS AND CURIOUSER, curated by Julian Woods, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery 2018.
LIGHT GEIST, curated by Erin Coates, Fremantle Art Centre, Western Australia 2017.
THAT WHICH CANNOT NOT BE, curated by Bree Pickering, Vox Populi, Philadelphia, USA 2016
BODIES GO WRONG,curated by Christopher Hanrahan, Orgy Park, New York 2016
ELEMENTAL PHENOMENA, curated by Naomi Evans Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
SUBJECT TO RUIN, curated by Adam Porter, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Western Sydney 2014
JOHN FRIES AWARD, curated by Sebastian Goldspink, Galleries UNSW, 2014
ASSEMBLAGE, curated by Esther Cheung, 107 Projects, 2014
SUBJECT TO RUIN, curated by Adam Porter, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney 2014
NSW FELLOWSHIP FOR EMERGING ARTISTS, curated by Sam Zimmet Artspace, Sydney 2014
CLOSED SYSTEM with Steve Mykietyn, curated by Christopher Hanrahan, MOP Projects August 2013
KELLY’S EYE CLUB, curated by Steve Mykietyn, Orgy Park, New York 2012
FREEFALL, curated by Sari Kivanin, Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney 2012
CRISIS COMPLEX curated by Sumugan Sivanesan + Laura McLean, Tin Sheds, Sydney 2012
WHITE AS THEY COME Curated by Iakavos Lamperidis, 55 Sydnenham Road, 2012
TIME MACHINE, Serial Space, Sydney July 2012
FRESH PRODUCE, Curated by Serena Bentley, Next Wave May 2012
HELEN LEMPRIERE TRAVELLING ART SCHOLARSHIP FOR EMERGING ARTISTS, Artspace, Sydney 2011
SELECTED press
REALTIME ARTS, "Utterly Wired", Keith Gallasch, December 2016
ARTGUIDE, "Ella Barclay on conspiracy theories and the New World Order",December 2016
VAULT, "I had TO Do It", Chloe Wolifson, 2016
ART ALMANAC, "New World Order", Eleanor Zeichner, December 2016
ARTLINK, "Ella Barclay: A Feeling of Lost Connections", Parrallel Universe (Summer Issue) 2016.
ARTIST PROFILE, "Ella Barclay", Lucy Strange, November 2016
ART ALMANAC, "I Had To Do It", October 2016
EYELINE, Review of Elemental Phenomena, Robert Lort, January 2016
DAS SUPERPAPER, Video interview with Nick Garner, July 2014
TWO THOUSAND, Exhibition feature, August 2013
ART MONTHLY, "Ella Barclay", Issue 2657, Kelly Robson, p 47 2013
RADIO NATIONAL, The List, Interview with Jason di Rosso, 24 May 2013
FBI Radio Arts Show Interview with Jesse Cox, 2013
THE BRAG, Time Machine Review of Woozy Jacuzzi + Interview, Dee Jefferson June 2013
NEW MUSEUM, Art Spaces Directory, db projects, 2012
ART + AUSTRALIA, Marian Tubbs, "For the Lulz" exhibition review, Art + Australia Summer 2011
DAS500, JD Reforma, “For the Lulz”, 2011
Steve Mykietyn, "Ways to be Cool', Allotrope, Belfast July 2011
Reiltor, Claire, Art Monthly "Artnotes: Asia", Art Monthly,#239, May 2011, p 52
Sophia, Olivia; 'Ella Barclay", Runway:Return October 2010
RESIDENCIES
AUSTRALIA COUNCIL London Studio 2016
CASULA POWERHOUSE Residency 2016
ARTSPACE, Sydney 2014
ASIALINK, Taipei Artist Village, 2011
RUNWAY Magazine, board director 2011
FIRST DRAFT artist in residence 2009
AWARDS + GRANTS
FISHER'S GHOST ART AWARD 2017 (shortlisted)
AUSTRALIA COUNCIL CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT - NEW WORK 2016
NSW Artists Grant 2016
UTS Research Excellence Scholarship 2016
NSW FELLOWSHIP FOR EMERGING ARTISTS 2013 (shortlisted)
AUSTRALIA COUNCIL NEW WORK GRANT 2013
MADDOCKS ART PRIZE (shortlisted)
NSW ARTIST GRANT 2012.
HELEN LEMPRIERE TRAVELLING ARTS SCHOLARSHIP FOR EMERGING ARTISTS 2011 (SHORTLISTED)
NSW ARTIST GRANT 2010
JOHN LANSDOWN MEDIA ART MEDAL, University of Edinburgh 2006
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE SCHOLARSHIP + full stipend, the British Council 2005-06
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH SCHOLARSHIP 2005-06
UNSW EXCHANGE SCHOLARSHIP, University of Amsterdam 2002