Damien Kamholtz is a practicing visual artist based in Toowoomba. His paintings have been selected as finalists in the Brett Whitely Travelling Art Scholarship twice and he has been a finalist in such shows as the Churchie Art Award, the Prometheus Visual Arts Award and, more recently, the Sulman Prize.
Damien is a lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, currently teaching Art and Pedagogy for the education faculty. He has also taught there for the Arts Faculty. Prior to that he taught at the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE and has coordinated art programs within acute mental Health Units for Queensland Health.
Damien is the director and founder of Play on Play, which is a creative collective designed to celebrate and support creativity within the community while promoting awareness in environmental and multicultural education. Play on Play aims to promote the importance of creativity in the lives of children and community. They have opened POP in the BOX Children’s Art Gallery in 2008 and recently were runners up in the QLD Gallery and Museum Achievement Awards 2009.
Damien has travelled throughout Australia and internationally – delivering creative workshops, lectures and professional development seminars. Thru Play on Play, Damien has published a childrens book in collaboration with schools and communities in central Australia about the life of Albert Namatjira. He has completed a two month residency in East Java and recently returned from a workshop series and curating an exhibition at the International Gallery of Childrens’ Art in London. Damien is also currently tutoring for Queensland’s Flying Arts.
2007- Current Undertaking Masters of Fine Arts, University of Southern Queensland.
Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Southern Queensland
2005 – Current University Of Southern Queensland Position: Lecturer/ Tutor
2001-Current Play on Play – Supporting Creativity in Community Position: Director
2012 remember this, Anthea Polson Art, Qld, (March 24)
2012 Face Mail and Junk Book Blues, Ray Gun, Toowoomba
2011 More You than You, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth
2010 Beanstalk Blues, ArtHouse Gallery, Sydney
2010 Bower Boy Blues, 19 Karen, Gold Coast
2009 Pink Blues, ArtHouse Gallery, Sydney
2009 Placebo Bird Blues, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth
2008 Cordial Christ Blues, ArtHouse Gallery , Sydney
2007 Rimbaud Cowboy Blues, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth.
2006 Propaganda Blues, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth
2005 ‘Two Birds’ Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth.
2004 ‘No Junk Mail’, Oxygen Café, Toowoomba.
2003 ‘Small Circles’, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenillworth.
2003 ‘Small Circles’, Soapbox Gallery, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
2003 ‘Conversations with a Pipe Carrier’, Cam Robertson Gallery: Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2001 ‘Milk Thistle Wishes’, Railway Square, Upstairs Gallery, Toowoomba.
2000 ‘Bluer Skies Somewhere Exhibition’, Warehouse Upstairs Gallery, Toowoomba.
2012 Tyto Regional Art Gallery (November)
2012 State Library of Queensland (October)
2012 Mount Isa Civic Centre (July)
2012 John Flynn Place Museum and Gallery (May)
2012 Butter Factor Arts Centre (February)
2011 8 Days Before Christmas Our Artists’ Special Christnas Show, Anthea Polson Art, Qld
2011 Salon 11, ArtHouse gallery, Sydney
2011 These are not droids you’re looking for, Raygun Lab, Toowoomba
2011 The Studio Project, MADE. Creative Space, Toowoomba
2011 Brunswick Street Art Gallery, Melbourne
2010 Christmas Portrait Show, Anthea Polson Art, Qld
2010 Sulman Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales
2009 Windows of Pain Exhibition, Carriageworks, Ewart in Willoughby, Gosford Regional Art Gallery and Parramatta Riverside Arts Centre.
2008 Collector’s Choice Exhibition. Lasting Impressions Gallery, Kenilworth.
2008 SALON08- Arthouse Gallery , Sydney
2007 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship- Finalist Sydney
2007 Listen with your Eyes, Toowoomba Regional art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2007 Prometheus Visual Arts Award, Merrimac.
2007 Linden Postcard Show, Linden Centre for Contemporary Art, St Kilda.
2006 Churchie Art award, Brisbane
2005 Brett Whiteley Traveling Art Scholarship- Finalist, Sydney.
2005 ‘One of These Days’, Soapbox Gallery, Brisbane.
2005 ‘Courier Mail Art Show’, RNA Showground Exhibition Centre, Brisbane.
2004 ‘Culture in Harmony’ , Rumah Budaya Sanggar Pecantingan, Sidoarjo, Indonesia.
2004 ‘Rubina’, Hermannsberg Heritage Precinct, NT.
2003 ‘2003 Biennial Acquisitive Art Competition’, Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery, Crows Nest.
2002 ‘Arbitrary Signs do not Exist – Artworks by emerging artists’, Soapbox Gallery, Brisbane.
2001 ‘Channels’, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2001 ‘Realities II’, Modus Studios, Fortitude Valley.
2001 ‘See’, Collaborative Public Art work on Billboard, Toowoomba.
2001 ‘Group Show’, Soapbox Gallery, Brisbane.
2001 ‘2001 Biennial Acquisitive Art Competition’,Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery , Crows Nest.
2001 ‘Courier Mail Art Show’, RNA Showground Exhibition Centre, Brisbane
2001 ‘High Fidelity’, Works on Paper, Soapbox Gallery, Brisbane.
2001 ‘Artistcare Student Drawing Prize’, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane.
2000 ‘Sunday Mail Art Show’, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane.
2000 ‘The Toowoomba Biennial Acquisitive Award and Exhibition’, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2000 ‘Artistcare Student Drawing Prize Exhibition’, Queensland College of Art Gallery, Griffith University, Brisbane
2011 POP in the BOX in Perth, Painted Bridges, East-West, Perth
2008 Director and curator of POP in the BOX Children’s Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2008 Albert and the Hermannsburg Water Colour Artists, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2007 Albert, London International Gallery for Children’s Art, London.
2007 Painted Bridges, USQ Performance Centre, Toowoomba.
2006 Creative Communities, St George, Surrat, Dirranbandi, USQ Performance Centre Toowoomba.
2006 Play on Play, The House that Jack Built, USQ Performance centre, Toowoomba.
2006 International Children’s Art Exhibition, International Society for Education in Arts Congress, Portugal.
2005 ‘Play on Play’ International Children’s Art Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2005 ‘Play on Play’ Colouring Outside the Lines, Children’s Art Exhibition, Oxygen Café, Toowoomba.
2004 ‘Play on Play: Anak-Anak Pojok, Children’s Exhibition and Installation’, Sanggar Pecantingan, Sidoarjo, East Java.
2004 ‘Culture in Harmony’, Sanggar Pecantingan, Sidoarjo, East Java.
2004 ‘Play on Play’ Children’s Multicultural Art Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2003 ‘Homeland Art Exhibition’, Certificate IV Indigenous Studies Exhibition, Futures Restaurant, Toowoomba.
2003 ‘YELLOW’, Yellow House Art Group Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba.
2003 ‘See’ – Play on Play’s 2nd Annual Exhibition, Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Toowoomba
2012 Illustrators Australia Award, Gold Medal, Melbourne
2011 Finalist Clayton Utz Art Award, Brisbane
2011 Finalist Lethbridge 10000, Brisbane
2011 Finalist Kenilworth Art Prize, Kenilworth
2011 Finalist Prometheus Visual Arts Award, Gold Coast
2011 Finalist Queensland Regional Art Awards, selected in travelling exhibition, Queensland
2010 Queensland Museum and Gallery Award, Brisbane
2007 Ipswich Art Award, First Prize Portraiture. Ipswich
2006 Contemporary Art Award, Kenilworth Arts Festival, Kenilworth.
2004 Grand prize, Kumbia Historical Society Inaugural Art Exhibition, Kumbia.
2003 Most Promising Young Artist Award, ‘2003 Biennial Acquisitive Art Competition’, Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery,
2001 Highly Commended, ‘2001 Biennial Acquisitive Art Competition’, Crows Nest Regional Art Gallery, Crows Nest.
2000 Outstanding Portrait/Human Figure Award, Sunday Mail Art Show, Brisbane.
2000 People’s Choice Award, ‘Year 2000 Artistcare Student Drawing Prize’, Brisbane.
I set about narration while still deliberately frustrating logical conclusion. I create in a slow process whereby ideas and images are accumulated and layered over time, a process which intensifies the complexities of the images.
In all my works there exists a certain ambiguity that deliberately allows for personal interpretation. The figures are arranged like characters on a minimal stage. The scene and script being performed exists in the viewer’s interpretation/imagination/ memory.
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