Luke Cornish is an Australian artist creating unique, powerful images from handmade stencils. His rise within the contemporary art world has been meteoric, becoming the first artist to be nominated for the Archibald Prize and the Sulman prize with a portrait created entirely out of stencils. A former blue-collar worker from Canberra, Cornish’s apathy and boredom during his mid-twenties encouraged him to start experimenting with stanley knives and spraypaint cans. Nearly ten years later, Cornish has literally carved his name into the public’s mind. Using up to 85 layers of carefully hand-cut acetate, he sprays layer upon layer of aerosol paint until his images bear a striking photographic resemblance: this is a new form of hyper-realism that is unlike what has been seen before. Formally known as E.L.K, he uses the tools of a street artist to create decadent, detailed works that envelop the viewer. There is an honesty to Cornish’s work, slicing back the layers and reconstructing his muses with astonishing deftness. The emotions that permeate through the eyes of his portraits have great depth, the shadows created by the stencils highlighting their anguish. His subjects all seem to share the same hardship and determination that Cornish himself has experienced, lending to a sense of dire reality in the unreality of his images.
After a few small exhibitions across Australia, Cornish’s abilities began to attract public attention. Over the past five years he has been granted many awards, including being selected as a finalist in the Metro Art Prize of 2011, winning the Australian Stencil Art prize in 2010, the most popular stencil at Melbourne Stencil Festival in 2008, and creating a shortlisted Tropfest film on the making of his Archibald portrait. And finally, the Archibald itself. This represents a shift in the contemporary art world, as Cornish’s controversial nomination has proven that stencilling is a viable fine art form that is now competing with more traditional methods. He has continued to refine his craft, striving to push the boundaries of his medium and creating picture-perfect stencils. Cornish has nuzzled his way into the fine art world, showing that even if the pen is mightier than the sword, the scalpel might win out overall. In 2013, he achieved the highest ever auction result in Australia for street art for his Archibald piece of Father Bob at Bonhams.
Solo Exhibitions
2018
(in)appropriate, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
No place like home, Tuggeranong art centre, Canberra
2017
Road to Damascus, Nanda Hobbs, Sydney, New South Wales
Zero to the Left, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
2016
Nanda Hobbs, Sydney, New South Wales
Concrete Jungle, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
2014
Charlie Foxtrot, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
2013
Before Afghanistan, Art Equity, Sydney, New South Wales
2012
Not with it…, Metro Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
2011
Look what you made me do…., Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
This is why we can’t have nice things, Oh Really Gallery, New South Wales
2010
How you like me now Bitch? Front Gallery, Australian CapitalTerritory
Group Exhibitions
2020
Rise Exhibition, Carriageworks, Sydney
2019
Primed, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
2017
For Syrias Children, fundraising exhibition
Sign of the times, Gold Coast Art Gallery, QLD
2016
Stencil, Next Gallery, Paris
2015
Stencil Master, Urban art festival, Amsterdam
Fine lines, Sydney story factory fundraiser, Sydney
Brave new world, nanda/hobbs, Sydney
Bricks to canvas, Aarwun gallery, Canberra
Your Kid Can't Do This, Ambush Gallery, Sydney (curator)
Contents Under Pressure - Stencil Art in Australia
Public, Perth
First Landing to Last Post, Parliament house, Canberra
2003-2010
Burrinja Gallery, Melbourne
Awards and Recognition
2017
Salon de Refusés, SH Ervine Gallery, Sydney (Holding Redlich Peoples Choice Award)
2016
Australian War Memorial, Canberra (acquisition)
Calleen art award, Cowra Regional Gallery, Finalist
2015
Brisbane Art Prize, Finalist
Deakin small sculpture prize, Finalist
Moreton Bay Regional Art award, Finalist
Calleen art award, Cowra regional gallery, Finalist
Gold Coast Art Gallery, QLD (acquisition)
2014
Black Swan Prize, Finalist
Bond University Collection, QLD
Corrigan Collection
2013
Churchill Fellowship, Awardee
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra (acquisition)
Sulman prize, Finalist
2012
Moran Portrait prize, semi-finalist
Archibald prize, Finalist
Tropfest, shortlisted
2011
Metro Art Prize, Finalist
2010
Australian Stencil Art Prize, Winner
2009
Ballarat Gallery of Modern Art (acquisition)
Australian Stencil art prize, Runner up
2008
Melbourne Stencil Festival, Peoples choice
Collections
2015
Wonderwalls, Port Adelaide
Project 504, Sydney
2014
Public Street art festival, Perth
RightNow, Liechardt, Sydney
ADIDAS Stan Smith show, Melbourne
2013
Sulman prize, Art Gallery of NSW
2012
A cut above 2, Espionage Gallery, Adelaide
Archibald prize, Art Gallery of NSW
E.L.K x ADNATE "killing it", Molecule gallery,Melbourne
Project 5, Sydney
Melbourne’s burning, Paradise hills, Melbourne
Young guns, Linton and kay, Perth
Climate change, Metro Gallery, Melbourne
2011
Surface Tension, Ambush Gallery, Sydney
All stars show, Espionage gallery, Adelaide
Things to come, Metro Gallery, Melbourne
Facebook portrait show, Dark horse experiment, Melbourne
The new field, Dark horse experiment, Melbourne
Metro art award, exhibition of finalists, Melbourne
A cut above, Espionage gallery, Adelaide
Sidewayz Art Exhibition, Sydney
up close (colour by numbers), Sydney
Expo for Mattia, Naples, Italy
up the bend, Rancho Notorious, Melbourne
Paste up exhibition (ragad art kalliatsis), Hungary
2010
Space Invadas, National Gallery of Australia (merchandise inGiftshop)
Don't push mong, China heights, Surry hills, Sydney
Australian Stencil art Prize, Oh Really gallery, Newtown,Sydney
Don't push mong, Canberra
Pop rocks, Urban Uprising gallery, Sydney
Sweet streets, 1000 pound bend, Melbourne
Friends with knives, crewest gallery, Los Angeles
Urban art 10A, BSG, Melbourne
2009
Old Skoolin, Art whino, Washington/Los Angeles
Get Trucked, per square metre, Melbourne
Melbourne Stencil Festival, Melbourne
YourKidCantDoThis, Sydney Show, North Bondi
Urban Art Agenda #3, Ballarat, Melbourne and BrisbanePowerhouse
September, Dirty Pilot Group show, LA, USA
Spin that thing, vinyl show, Famous when dead Gallery,Melbourne
In2change Exhibition, Belconnen Community Centre
YourKidCantDoThis, Melbourne Show
YourKidCantDoThis' Canberra Show, Legislative assembly
"Stencil" Art Whino Group show, National Harbour,MD, USA
Australian Stencil Art prize, Exhibition of finalists (runner up)
2008
Spray 1387, Tehran, Iran
Melbourne Stencil Festival
Cacophony Group show, Manuka
2007
Cacophony Group show, The Front Gallery
M16 Group show, M16, Canberra
Currently open
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