An elder Djambarrupyngu woman from Elcho Island north-east Arhem Land, adopted me and called me 'waku' (daughter). Through working for her I learnt traditional colour and fibre preparation. I have since incorporated her gift of knowledge into my arts practice to create sculptural works often using traditional techniques and fibres, cross-cultural postcolonial themes run through my work. ‘My work calls for the attention to the 'natural' the sustainable and the need to celebrate it’.
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION
2006 Bachelor of Visual Arts, Charles Darwin University, NT
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2006 Inwardly Outbound, The Gallery, Charles Darwin University, NT
2002 Under the Influence, Territory Craft Gallery, NT
2000 Reconcile d’ Object, Territory Craft Gallery, NT
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2008-10 Momentum, Tamworth Textile Biennial, Touring Nationally
2007-10 ReCoil, Currently Touring Nationally
2006-07 Call & Response, Toured, Brisbane, QLD
2007 Stations of the Cross, St Paul’s, Katherine, NT
2007 Hatched, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth, WA
2007 Connected, Framed Gallery, Darwin, NT
06-07 Elemental Offerings, Site-specific installation, Woodford Folk Festival, QLD
2006 Eclosion, Graduate Exhibition, Charles Darwin University, NT
2006 Sculpture in the Park, Civic Park, Darwin, NT
2006 This Is Not a Drill, Woods St Gallery, Darwin, NT
2006 Blurring the Boundaries, Fairfield City Art Gallery & Museum, NSW
2006 Branching Out, Chapel on Chapel Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 Entwined, Reading Room – Old Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne, VIC
2005 Australia’s Fashion Fantasia, Wrest Point Casino, TAS
2005 Arafura Craft Exchange, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
2005 Fibres & Fabrics, Perc Tucker Gallery, Townsville, QLD
2004 Alice Craft Acquisition, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2004 Woodford Folk Festival – Installation Art, Woodford, QLD
2004 Threads of Colour, Fremantle Art Centre, Fremantle, WA,
2003 From the Top, Territory Craft, Darwin, NT
2002 Woodford Folk Festival – Installation art, Woodford, QLD
2002 Tertiary Art Prize, Sydney, NSW
2002 Paper and String, Redcliffe City Art Gallery, Redcliffe, QLD,
2002 Thread, Northern Territory University, Darwin, NT
2002 Sculpture in the Park, Smith St Mall, Darwin, NT
2002 Crossings, Launceston Museum Gallery, Launceston, TAS
2002 Alice Springs Craft Acquisition, Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2001 20th National Craft Acquisition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, NT
1999 Paper Fibre Factor, MT. Cootha Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
1999 Rum Jungle Retrospective, Woods St Gallery, Darwin, NT
1998 Red Hot Fibre, Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
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PRIZES & GRANTS
2007 Bursary to attend a Master Class with Dr Pamela Croft, ‘Both Ways’
2006 Presentation & Promotion Grant, Arts NT
2006-05 Commonwealth Education Scholarship, Charles Darwin University
2005 Artists’ Development Grant, Charles Darwin University
2005 Australia’s Fashion Fantasia, Winner - Supreme Award
2005 Private Commission
2005 Craft-in-Site, Territory Craft
2004 Bursary-Geelong Forum, the Australian Forum for Textile Arts,
2003 Small Grants Program, Territory Craft,
2002 Sculpture in the Park, Honourable mention
2001 Emerging Artist Mentorship, Australia Council
2001 Small Grants Program, Territory Craft
2001 Pat Corrigan, NAVA
2001 Exhibition Development Fund, Artback NT Arts Touring
1999 Skills Development Fund, Arts NT
COLLECTIONS
Tamworth Regional Gallery, Multiplex, Avant Carde, ,Private collections
CURATORIAL
2006 Call & Response, Curator, Territory Craft Gallery, Darwin, NT
2005 Towards an Indigenous Renaissance, Installation supervisor, Charles Darwin University
2001 -03 Organic Matters, Curator, NT
2001 Follow the Sun, Installation assistant, under the direction of the National
Library touring manager
2001 Bush Toys, Installation assistant, National Museum exhibition
1999 Rum Jungle Retrospective’, Curator, NT
PUBLICATIONS
2006 Breaking Ground Making Ground; Contemporary Fibre Art in the Northern
Territory, Textile Fibre Forum Magazine, No. 83, p 50-51
2001 Accidental Artist, Textile Fibre Forum Magazine, No. 63, p
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Keller Christiane, (2009), ReCoil; a Celebration of Fibre Art in Australia, Art Monthly Australia, No.217, pp23-28
West Margie, (2007), ReCoil, Exhibition Catalogue, Artback NT Arts Touring, pp60-63
Trouon, Lycia, (2006), Fiona Gavino, Textile Fibre Forum, No.83, pp48-49
Unwin, Sonya, (2006), Fiona Gavino; Weaver Extraordinaire, Resident Magazine, Issue 3, p118
Gray, Allison, (2005), Arafura Craft Exchange, Catalogue, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, pp 8-9
‘Arafura Craft Exchange’ (2005), Object Magazine, No.47, p 46,
Burge, Tina. (2005). A new cultural dialogue. The Journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia. Volume 14. No3. pp24-25
Cameron, Angus, (2005), Arafura Craft Exchange Fibre 2005, Australian Art Collector 32:241
Effendy, Rifky. (2005), Tempo Newspaper (Indonesia). June 5
Effendy, Rifky. (2005). Batik, daging kangurur, bir dingin diantara semak dan rumah rayap.
Majalah Seni Rupah, (2005) Visual Art (Indonesia). No 9. October/November. p86-91
Author not cited, (2005). Artists weave their magic, Northern Territory News Fresh Supplement,
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