Born London 1953
Lives Sydney, Australia
Studies
Medicine, Uni of Tasmania 1972-74, 1976-78
Printmaking, East Sydney Tech 1979, 1983
Bronze Casting, ESTC 1990-92
Fine Arts, Sydney Uni 1985-91
MFA NSW Uni 1993-95
Marble carving, Carrara, Italy, 2009
Qualifications
B Med Sc, MB BS, FFMACCS, Dip Sculpture, BA (Hons), MFA
Travels
America, Europe and Asia working at various periods in Indonesia, India, France, Italy, PNG, Tonga and Turkey.
Work
Professional artist, environment officer, medical practitioner, art teacher, film script writer, graphic artist.
Languages: English, Italian, French, Indonesian
Website: www.adamrish.net
Email: adamrish@bigpond.com
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1975 Secheron House Gallery, Hobart
1976 Salamanca Place Gallery, Hobart
1977 Saddlers Court Gallery, Richmond, Tasmania
Hunter Island Gallery, Hobart
1978 Bowerbank Mill Gallery, Deloraine, Tasmania
1979 Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney
Powell St Gallery, Melbourne
Harrington St Gallery, Hobart
1983 Salamanca Place Gallery, Hobart
Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1984 Mori Gallery, Sydney
1986 Mori Gallery, Sydney
1987 Solander Gallery, Canberra
Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1989 DC Art, Sydney
Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
Despard St Gallery, Hobart
1990 Solander Gallery, Canberra
DC Art, Sydney
BMG Fine Art, Adelaide
1991 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1992 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
1994 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
1995 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
COFA Gallery, University of NSW, Sydney
1996 Quadrivium, Sydney
1997 Cooee Gallery, Sydney
1998 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
1999 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
2000 Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2001 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
2004 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
2007 Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney
2009 Despard St Gallery, Hobart
2010 Australian Galleries, Sydney
2010 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
2010 Solander Gallery, Canberra
2011 Despard Gallery, Hobart
2013 Orange Regional Gallery, Sturt Gallery, Mittagong
2014 Cessnock Regional Gallery, Manning Regional Gallery, Moree Regional Gallery
2015 Gold Coast City Gallery
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1977 Tasmanian Artists, Tasmania House, London
1980 Queensland Touring Exhibition “Dyeing Fibre and Fabric”
1986 Oz Drawing Now, Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney
1989 New York International Print Fair
1992 Chicago Alternative Media Art Fair
1992 Tamworth Textile Biennale
1994 Kalef-Jackson Gallery, Calgary, Canada
1998 City Of Hobart Art Prize
2001 Geometry of the Earth, Orange Regional Gallery
2002 Sir Hermann Black Gallery, University of Sydney
2007 Beyond Hill End, Cudgegong Gallery, Gulgong, NSW
2008 City Of Hobart Art Prize
2008 “Adam Rish, Garry Shead, Stephen Roach”, Australian Galleries, Sydney
2009 Australian Galleries, Melbourne
2009 Australian Galleries, Sydney
2009 ‘6×6’ Moree Plains Art Gallery, Moree
2010 Lino Alvarez: Collaborations in Clay, Bathurst
Regional Gallery
2010 Sculpture at the Beach, Coo-ee Gallery, Sydney
2010 The Taronga Zoo Air Exhibition
2010 Sculpture at Sawmillers, Sydney
2011 Adam Rish and Garry Shead “True Fictions from Australia – Sanna historier från Australien”
Grafikens Hus, Mariefred, Sweden.
2011 Sculpture on the Edge, Bermagui
2012 Sculpture on the Edge, Bermagui
2012 Moving Parts, curated by Ellie Ray and Astrid Joyce, Devenport Regional Gallery, Tasmania
2013 Sculpture in the Gaol, SW Rocks
2014 Sculpture at Sawmillers, Sydney
2015 Artisans in the Gardens
2015 Australian Artists in Bali 1930s to Now
McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery; Launceston Museum and Art Gallery; Burnie Regional Gallery; Queensland Art Gallery; Art Gallery of NSW; Australian National Gallery; Shepparton Art Gallery; Art Bank; VAB of Tasmania Collection; Uni of Tasmania Collection; Glasshouse Gallery, Port Macquarie; Grafikens Hus, Mariefred, Sweden, Gold Coast City Gallery.
AWARDS
1979 VAB Special Purpose Grant
1981 VAB Studio Residence, Karolyi Foundation, Vence, France
1984 VAB Studio Residence, Besozzo, Italy
1984 Australian Film Commission, Comedy Fund Grant
1992 VAB Travel Grant
1997 Asialink Residency IKJ Jakarta
1998 City of Hobart Art Prize
FILMOGRAPHY
“From A Letter”, 16mm col 13 min 1983. Exhibited Melbourne Film Festival 1983; Adelaide Fringe Festival, 1984.
“The Corporate Choice” 1986, 16 mm colour 14 min
“The Search For Meaning”, 19/091994, Digital 5 min interview with Adam Rish on REVIEW ABC “Immunisation: Telling the story”, 1996, Digital 15 min
“Brushes with Fame”, (actor/subjct) Richard Mordaunt and Diana Barbara, 1997 Digital 54 min
“The Flesh Wheelbarrow”, (script development and actor) Garry Shead, 2006, Digital 20 min
“Kangaroo”, (actor) Garry Shead, 2013, Digital 20 min
“Misanthropology: The World Art of Adam Rish”, Adam Rish in conversation with John McDonald, 2013 Digital 25 min
BIBLIOGRAPHY(selected)
“Artists made their debuts with oils”, Alison Carins, The Examiner, July 26, 1978
“Gallery galaxy”, Sandra McGrath, The Australian, May 18, 1979
“Exhibitions for an anniversary”, Nancy Borlase, Sydney Morning Herald, May 19, 1979
“Artists of Australia and New Zealand” , Max Germaine, Lansdown Editions, 1979
“The Art of Dyeing, Arthur McIntyre, Craft Australia, Spring, 1979, pp 49-50
The Tasmanian Revue, Number 4, 1980
Aspect, Art & Literature, No 21, June 1981, p18.
Art and Australia, Dec 1979, Summer 1984, Winter 1989.
New Poetry, Vols 26-27
Island magazine – regular graphics contributor.
Helix, Dec 1980.
Vence Upon A Time Adam Rish and Garry Shead, RYZ Press, 1982.
The Age Of Reason Adam Rish, RYZ Press, 1984.
Historia Mundi Illustrata Adam Rish, RYZ Press, 1986.
The Age, Entertainment Guide, 7 July 1989, Emily Gibson, “Artist Finds Inspiration In Irons…”
Tension, Aug 1989, Rex Butler, ” Adam Rish: Baroque Around The Clock”
The Mercury, 4/11/89, Susan Legett, “Easily led Tex and his history of modern art.”
Sunday Tasmanian, 5/11/89, Amanda Leary, “Fancy a toaster or car on your kilim.”
“Flattening art with an iron: Rish’s wish” Emily Gibson, Canberra Times, April 9, 1990
“Works of art designed to provoke the mind”, Sasha Grishin, Canberra Times, April 14 1990
Vogue Living, May 1990, Tex Willer, “Artist Adam Rish and the khilims of Konya…”
Sydney Morning Herald, Metro, 24/8/90, Emily Gibson “Art for Neurotics”.
Interior Architecture, issue 32, Miscellanea 44, “Adam Rish is a Sydney based painter…”
“Mixing medicine with metaphysical montage” Victoria Clayton, Australian Dr Weekly, 6 Sept. 1991, pp82-83
Sydney Morning Herald, Metro, 13/11/92, P3S Emily Gibson, “Frame Games”.
“10th Tamworth Fibre/Textile Biennial 1992” catalogue p29, p48.
“Object”, Autumn 1993, Beth Jackson, “From the Floor to the Wall” pp17-19.
“Object”, Spring 1993, Adam Rish, “Objection:From the Floor to the Flaw”. p49.
“The Book of Hrabel”, Péter Esterházy, Brandl and Schlesinger, Sydney, 1994
“Images from a Visionary”, Felicity Fenner, Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 9 1994
Misanthropology , Adam Rish, MFA Uni NSW 1995.
“Rediscovering forgotten riches. Adam Rish: Misanthropology” Jenny Zimmer, The Age, Feb 7 1995 p19
Contemporary Craft Review 1, 1995 Ed J. Zimmer, Adam Rish “Misanthropology” p92
“Nouveau Rish”, Antonia Williams, Sydney Morning Herald – Domain, p5, 8/8/96
“Prints are a steal”, Bronwyn Watson, Sydney Morning Herald, June 13, 1997, Arts p15
“Reality forms a pattern in tapestry message rugs” Stephanie King, Financial Review, Nov. 8-9 1997 pp4-5
“Object”, 1 1998, Adam Rish, “Shona Wilson – a profile” pp36-37
“Devil TV and other black arts” Susan McCulloch, The Weekend Australian, Feb 21-22 1998 p24
“Mike Parr: blood box”. Parr, M., Tsoutas, N., Geczy, A. Scheer, E., Artspace, Sydney, 1998 (& 2006).
“Doctor’s script for winning design” Eve Lamb, The Mercury Dec 30 1998, p11.
“Cultural weft and warp” Deborah Jones, The Australian, 1 Jan 99, p16.
“Collection creates history” Jeff Makin, Herald Sun, June 19 2000 p111
“Misanthropology – The Art of Adam Rish” Michael Denholm, Art & Australia Sept 2001 pp92-100
“Collaborations in World Art” Louise Maral, Sydney Uni News, 26 April 2002, p7
“Very Crazy Tapa” Adam Rish and Ruth Hessey, Australian Art Review Jul-Oct 2004, issue 5 pp58-61
“The New McCulloch Encyclopedia of Australian Art”, Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch and Emily McCulloch Childs, Aus Art Editions the Miegunyah Press, 2006
“Of Devotion and determination” John McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald, Dec 8-9 2007, pp16-17
“City of Hobart Art Prize 08 Catalogue”, Hobart City Council, August, 2008
“Australian Artists in Ceramics” Sasha Grishin, Journal of Australian Ceramics, July 2009 pp 39-41
“Brush With Nature” Melissa Mylchreest, Australian House and Garden, Dec 2009, 203-4
“Favourite Things” Katrina Lobley, Good Weekend 22 May 2010, p31
“On the gentle art of collaborating with Lino…” Sasha Grishin, Catalogue Essay Bathurst Regional Gallery, 9 July – 22 August, 2010
“Symbolic Exchanges” Prue Gibson, Australian Art Review Nov 10 –Jan 11 2010 issue 25 pp 38-40
“Surgical approach to his sculpture” Emma Hope, The Mercury, Thurs March 31 2011, p13
“Master Printmaker Residency at the Skopelos Foundation for the Art, Island of Skopelos, Greece”, Barbie Kjar, Imprint, Vol 45, No 2, 2010
“Adam Rish and Garry Shead: True Fictions From Australia”, Imprint, Vol 46, No 4, 2011, p47
“Moving Parts” Catalogue 5 May- 10 June, 2012, Ellie Ray and Astrid Joyce, Devenport Regional Gallery, Tasmania.
“In like Flynn to hear Rish” Alan Sisley, Central Western Daily, February 23, 2013, p11
“On Sunday Rish takes the floor”, Brenda Gray, Central Western Daily, March 9, 2013, p9
“What’s new at the gallery”, Central Western Daily, Feb 11, 2013, p10
“Collaborating with cultures”, Emma Biscoe, Highlander Weekend, April 6, 2013
“All the fun of the fair”, John McDonald, Sydney Morning Herald, April 27-28, 2013, pp12-13
“The Dealer is The Devil”, Adrian Newstead, Brandl & Schlesinger, Sydney, 2014, pp 244, 323, 484, 509
“World Art by Adam Rish a cross-cultural collaboration”, Lauren Green, Manning River Times, June 11, 2014
“Australian Artists in Bali 1930s To Now”, Rodney James, McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery, 2015, pp 46, 48, 58