MARGARET AMBRIDGE
Margaret Ambridge is an Adelaide based artist whose major themes revolve around her intensely personal reactions to how we deal with boundaries and adversity. In particular the boundaries that define social transgression, not the large flamboyant transgressions, but small ones that begin as politeness, or apology and solidify into lies and taboos, the things that become social and cultural rigidities, that go on to inform and mould identity, whether we are aware of it or not.
Born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1966 Margret’s love of mark making began sitting at the kitchen table with her mother who was a well respected artist and teacher.
Working primarily with charcoal Margaret has been a finalist in many major Australian Art prizes including the Dobel Drawing Prize, Blake Prize, Waterhouse and the Kedumba Drawing Award. Her work is held in public and private national and private international collections.
Curriculum Vitae
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Embedded, Gallery M, Marion Cultural Center, Marion, SA
2022 Becoming invisible?, SALA, praxis ARTSPACE, SA
2020 Walk On By, West Gallery, Thebarton, SA
2020 On line, Brunswick Street Gallery, Vic
2019 Beneath, SALA, praxis ARTSPACE, SA
2017 'til death, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, University of South Australia
2001 Recent Works, Greenhill Galleries, SA
1999 Recent Works, Greenhill Galleries, SA
Selected Exhibitions
2023 Finalist, The Alice Prize 2024, Alice Springs, NT
2023 Finalist, 12th Prospect Portrait Prize, SA
2023 Finalist, M16 Artspace Drawing Prize 2023, ACT
2023 Winner, (Inaugural) Nyland Prize (Photography), Adelaide, SA
2023 Finalist, Centre for Creative Health Art Prize 2023, Adelaide, SA
2023 Finalist; Dobell Drawing Prize #23, NSW
Winner, People’s Choice Award; selected for the Dobell Regional Touring Exhibition 2023 – 2025
2021 Finalist, (Inaugural) Centre for Creative Health Art Prize, Adelaide, SA
2021 Finalist, Dobell Drawing Prize #22, NSW.
Selected for the Dobell Regional Touring Exhibition 2021– 2023
2020 Finalist, 66th Blake Prize, NSW (withdrawn)
2020 Finalist, M16 Artspace Drawing Prize, ACT
2020 Winner, Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, NSW
2020 Winner, People’s Choice, 41st Alice Art Prize, NT
2020 Finalist, 47th Muswellbrook Art Prize (Works on Paper), NSW
2020 Finalist, Glover Prize, TAS
2018 Finalist, 2018 Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize (20th Anniversary) SA
2018 Finalist, The Kennedy Prize, SA
2018 Finalist, 40th Alice Art Prize
2018 Finalist, 45th Muswellbrook Art Prize (Works on Paper)
2017 Winner, 9th Prospect Portrait Prize, Prospect Gallery, SA
2017 Finalist, RSASA/SALA Portrait Prize 2017, SA
2017 Finalist, Real or Surreal, Emma Hack Art Prize 2017, SA
2016 Finalist, Award Exhibition - Art Concerning Environment, Scope Gallery, Vic
2016 Finalist, Life in Death, Palliative Care, M16 Art Space, ACT
2016 Finalist, She Exhibition 2016, Vic
2015 Finalist, 8th Prospect Portrait Prize 2015, SA
2015 Finalist, Humanity in Nature, Emma Hack Art Prize 2015, SA
2015 Finalist, She Exhibition 2015, Vic
2014 Finalist, 2014 Polish Art Foundation Thematic Exhibition ‘Taboo’, Vic
2014 Finalist, 2014 Outback Open Art Prize, NSW
2007 Presence in Nature, Flinders University Art Museum, SA
2006 Presence in Nature, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
2006 Presence in Nature, Mazatalan Museum of Art, Mexico
2006 Presence in Nature, Palais de Glace, Argentina
2005 Finalist, Waterhouse Art Prize, SA
2005 Invited, Kedumba Drawing Prize, NSW
2002 Finalist, Fleurieu Art Prize, SA
2002 Finalist, Prospect Portrait Prize, Prospect Gallery, SA
1999 Finalist, Prospect Portrait Prize, Prospect Gallery, SA
1998 Finalist, Toowoomba Biennial Acquisitive Award, Qld
1998 Finalist, Geelong Print Prize, Vic
1994 Matriculation State Art Exhibition, SA
Group exhibitions
2022 Body as Geology, Collective Haunt, Norwood, SA
2021 The Line III, BMGART, SA
2020 Tough Love, Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC
2019 Still Life Still Lives, BMGART, SA
2019 Flesh, No Vacancy, Melbourne, VIC
2019 The Line II, Drawing Exhibition, BMGART, SA
2019 2019 Water Ways, Adelaide Fringe, Fisher Jeffries, SA
2018 The Xmas Show, BMGART, SA
2018 The Line, Drawing Exhibition, BMGART, SA
2018 Limited Editions, Chancery Lane Gallery, SA
2018 Art on Parade, City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters
2018 [sic] Rose, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Flinders Medical Centre
2017 [sic] Rose, SALA, FRAN Festival, praxis ARTSPACE, SA
2016 Painting Twice, praxis ARTSPACE, SA
2016 A Small World, Magpie Springs Gallery, SA
2015 Belonging, SALA, Norwood Town Hall
2015 Who needs a theme? SALA
2010 Group Show, Greenhill Gallery, SA
2009 Group Show, Greenhill Gallery, SA
2007 Group Show, Greenhill Gallery, SA
2002 Flying Carpet, 1000 Women, International Touring Exhibition
2002 New Ground, Main Street Editions, Adelaide, SA
2002 Group Exhibition, The Place, Unley, Adelaide, SA
2001 Summer Print Exhibition, Greenhill Gallery, SA
2000/02 Group Exhibition, Horizon Gallery, Wedge tail Gallery, Broken Hill, NSW
1999 Christmas Show, Greenhill Galleries, SA
1999 Icons, Sestri Gallery, SA
1999 Chicago, Greenhill Galleries, SA
1999 EVA, Emerging Visual Artists, SA
1998 South Australian Living Artists Week, Main Street Editions, SA
1998 State Library of SA
Awards
2017 Winner, 9th Prospect Portrait Prize, Prospect Gallery, SA
1999 Major Prize, Works on Paper, EVA (Emerging Visual Artists), SA
1999 Resident Artist Award, Campbelltown Council, SA
1999 Award of Merit, Clare Council, SA
1999 Award of Merit, Victor Harbor Art Prize, SA
1998 First Prize, Other Medium, Campbelltown Council, SA
1998 Award of Merit, Clare Council, SA
1997 Award of Merit, Wildlife Society, SA
1997 Highly Commended, Victor Harbor Art Prize, SA
1984 Award of Merit, Matriculation Art, SA
Acquisitions/Collections
2007 Flinders University, SA
1998 Campbelltown Council Chambers, SA
1998 Toowoomba Art Gallery, Qld
1984 Director of Education, Department of Education, SA
Publications/Reviews
2019 November Visual Arts Highlights, John Neylon, The Adelaide Review, Issue 477, Nov 2019
2019 ‘Pillow Talk’, Jane Llewellyn, The Adelaide Review, Jul 2019
2017 The Longest Sleep, Clare Caldwell and Matthew Kiernan, The Lancet Neurology, December 2017
2006 Farandula, Fusionan arte y naturaleza, Mexico
2006 Cultural, Presentan su vision de la naturaleza, Mexico
2006 Escape, Presencian la naturaleza, Mexico
2002 The Prospect Portrait Prize, Adam Dutkiewicz, The Advertiser, January 2002
2001 The Twilight Zone, John Neylon, The Adelaide Review, July 2001
2001 Printmaking in the sun, Waldon and Muir, Watson Guptil, New York, 2001
1999 A strange sense of engagement, John Neylon, The Review, 1999
1998 Exhibition Commentary, Imprint, Vol. 33, no. 3
1998 Printmaking with Photopolymer Plates, Dianne Longley, 1998
1996 Solarplate Printmaking, Imprint Vol.31, no. 2
Articles and Interviews
2017 ABC Radio Adelaide (syndicated nationally), Mornings, with Caroline Winter,
‘Palliative Care Worker Captures Dying Moments in ‘til death Art Exhibition’
2017 ABC Radio Adelaide, Evenings, with Peter Goers
2017 Radio Adelaide, Breakfast on Radio Adelaide, with Jenni Lenman, ‘til death
2017 This IS RADELAIDE, with Rachel Darling, ‘Death Through The Eyes Of An Artist and Palliative Care Worker’
2017 The University of South Australia, ‘‘til death Business and Community’
2017 croakey.org, Marie McInerney, ‘Stunning Art Exhibition Gives Glimpses of Beauty and Humanity Amongst
Death and Dying’
2017 Palliative Care Australia, ‘Artist Interview at the Exhibition ‘til death’