bio

Sharon Aldrick

Photographer

B.F.A (Hons); UoN, DIP Photography, DIP Film & Television, Cert FA, Cert IV TAE, DIP community services coordination

Sharon Aldrick has been a professional photographer, creative producer and arts worker for 28 years and held over sixty exhibitions in Australia's leading galleries. Sharon Aldrick has worked in some of Australia's most remote Indigenous communities in The Northern Territory and the Kimberley's WA, she has worked in out back Australia with marginalised communities on personal work, commissions and Artist in Residencies

Bachelor of Arts Fine Arts – Newcastle University, NSW, Australia – Photo Media Major. Sharon has exhibited in The Art gallery of NSW, Sydney, National Museum of Australia (NMA), Canberra, a touring exhibition for two years through regional NSW and Her work has been a finalist in the prestigious Photography awards – Head On portrait Prize, Australian Centre of Photography Paddington fours years running. Finalist Josephine Urlick, National portrait prize, and Olive Cotton portraiture awards Tweed River Art Gallery four years running, Finalist Citigroup private National Portrait Prize, Art gallery of NSW, Winner – Watt space, The Animal within, Newcastle Art Gallery, Winner & highly commended Gosford regional Gallery, Art prize and Winner Naidoc Indigenous art prize. She was selected for UK's Aesthetica Creative Works Annual 2012 book out of a worldwide selection for the best contemporary artists that produce work around the theme Identity.

Sharon Aldrick is passionate about documenting the human condition and peoples' cultural environments, connecting to community, developing opportunities for innovative contemporary art practice. She was an artist in resident for an exhibition called "OUR COMMUNITY" A great place to be, The National Museum of Australia, First Australians, Canberra in partnership with Francis Peters Little a research professor at The National University, Canberra, Indigenous studies. A two-day seminar, 'Through The Lens' & resources developed for Schools to document their own "Our Community" was also launched. Sharon spent three years working in small outback communities throughout western NSW including Walgett, Brewarrina, Bourke, Goodooga, Coonamble and Lightning Ridge while photographing for the exhibition.

Sharon grew up on the Central Coast and has worked in the arts community in many roles for 28 years starting out as a photojournalist for The Australian Newspaper and now teaching and coordinating. Her commissions and residencies have given her opportunities to work with some amazing people and communities. Sharon worked as the Art Planer Coordinator for a major redevelopment of Gosford & Wyong Hospitals in 2006-2010 implementing an innovative vision of Arts & Health. Sharon was an Artist in Residence for "Faces of Gosford" – Gosford CBD, Commission, Gosford Regional Art Gallery 2009. A community art project to build an identity for Gosford and to break stereotypes around Gosford CBD, her series "Silent Tales" (produced) was exhibited at Global Gallery Paddington Sydney as part of the prestigeous Head On photo festival in 2011.

Sharon has worked as the Youth Arts Coordinator, Regional Youth Support Services, Gosford since 2011 and was the creative producer of "ImpressAbility" a major exhibition with twelve artists with a disability and three artists in residence, Sharon produced this project, which had an international profile. Sharon continues to produce exhibitions solo, group & collaborations, mostly projects about 'Identity' and the 'Visual language' working together with communities to produce contemporary exhibitions.

Artist Statement

"The exploration of personal identity, who we are and why we live a particular way has fascinated me all my life"

I concentrate on the human condition and peoples' cultural environments, the social contrast and story behind everyday life in Australia, mainly marginalised remote communities that live on the edge of society, struggling with existence yet proud and stoic within who they are.

This work plays with fiction and non-fiction questioning the photographic image as a portrayal of reality in which I present a dream like puzzle.

Seeking out the layers of the subconscious thought, a lone society is conveyed by the still serene images. The figures are placed in a well-orchestrated scene where something is about to happen, or has happened and the fractured unease of the future is thrown out of balance.

My work explores the inexplicable process of life and the interior world in which we live. Metaphorically exploring the interior and exterior of life in extreme environments and dissecting the term Identity.
Sharon Aldrick

Sharon Aldrick
Copacabana, NSW, Australia
0410 611 906

Videos and Links

NAISDA Dance College with the ImpressAbility artists, producing a mark making video: – View on YouTube

PAPER SCULPTURES PERFORMANCE IMPRESSABILITY PROJECT: – View on YouTube

Youth Arts Warehouse

 

Biographical details

Exhibitions, Commissions and Community art projects

 

Qualifications
2004-2008	BA in Fine Arts – Newcastle University
1996-1997	Film and Television, North Sydney Institute of Technology
1991-1993	Photography, Sydney Institute of Technology
1989-1991	Fine Arts, Hornsby College of Arts
Professional work
2008	Photography Teacher, Regional Youth Support Services
1998-2005	Head Photographer, Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service Corporate communications Department
1989-1998	Photographer, 'Central Coast Health'
1994	Features Photographer, 'The Australian Newspaper'
1990-1994	Photo Journalist, 'The Sun Newspaper'
Awards
2009	Finalist – Gosford Art Prize, Gosford Regional Gallery
2009	Winner – Newcastle University Art Gallery
2008	Finalist – Olive Cotton portraiture awards, Tweed River art gallery
2006	Winner Gosford regional Gallery, Art prize
2005	Winner Gosford regional Art Gallery – Indigenous collaboration work
2005	Finalist Headon portrait prize, Michael Nagy Fine Art, Woolloomooloo
2004	Finalist Citigroup private National Portrait Prize, Art gallery of NSW 'Proud Grandfather'
2004	Finalist Josephine Urlick, National portrait prize, Tweed River Art Gallery 'Carlotta's Allegory to Love'
Exhibitions & Commissions
2009	'Faces of Gosford' Gosford Regional Gallery
2009	'Faces of Gosford' Artist in Residence, Gosford CBD
2009	'Animal within' exhibition, Watt Space Newcastle
2008	'Tide People' The People of Mooney Mooney, A social documentary book
2008	'Photo Voices' Commission, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Exhibition and community art project. Documenting the Gay and Lesbian community of the Hunter Valley and Newcastle
2008	Families – A major exhibition, Gosford regional art gallery
2007	'My Turn' – Commission benevolent society, document men's stories
2007	'Postcards from a Young Parent' – Commission community art project RYSS
2006	'Our Community' – Travelling Exhibition through Australia's regional gallery's, by the National Museum of Australia, (Commission and Permanent collection NMA) Social Documentary photographs of Australia's remote outback communities.
2005	'Our Community' National Museum of Australia, Canberra
2005	'Walgett Community' – Solo Exhibition Cowra Regional Art Gallery
2004	'Walgett' – Solo Exhibition, Erina Art Gallery
2004	'Through their Lens' – Gosford regional Art Gallery
2003	'Culture Works' – Migrants on the Land, A Premiers department initiative, Travelling exhibition and documentary on immigrants and refugees in Young rural NSW place Permanent exhibition, Lambing Flats Museum Young (Commission, Department Immigration and Migration)
2003	'Migrants in the workplace' – Permanent exhibition, Liverpool Hospital
2002	'Flesh' – Curator and exhibitor, Group Exhibition
2001	'Winter Magic 2' – Solo Exhibition on Festival
2000	'Winter Magic' – Solo Exhibition on Festival
1999	Calendar for the 'International Year of Older Persons' (Commission, Department Veterans Affairs) 'Open to all ages' postcards, posters and exhibition (Commission, Department of Ageing and Disabilities) A NSW State government initiative
1999	'Timeless' – Travelling Solo Exhibition for 'International year of Older Persons'
1995	'Women of the landscape' – Solo Exhibition
1994	'Feme' – Solo Exhibition
Community Art Projects
2007	Balgo – Community art project in Balgo Aboriginal community Remote Northern territory
2003	Lived in Walgett Far out West NSW Photographically documented the life of a small out back community including the farming and indigenous communities of Ligtning Ridge, Brewarrina, Walgett, Coonamble, Bourke. Community art work with indigenous community, Brewarrina, Goodooga.