Bio
Donna Maree Robinson is an award winning multimedia artist who is based in Queensland, Australia. She is primarily interested in site-specific projects and works across a variety of disciplines that include large scale video projections, public works, gallery exhibitions, filmmaking and festivals. Her work explores the poetic potential of an environment which she infuses with layers of meaning, imagination, memories and history; a visual intersection of the natural world and our human existence within it.
Donna has a Master of Contemporary Art from the University of Tasmania and was mentored by internationally renowned new media artist Craig Walsh in 2010. Her work has been shown in a number of national and international exhibitions, including New York, London, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, throughout Queensland and Iceland where she attended a 2 month Nes Artist Residency during the winter of 2013.
In 2012 Donna won the QRA Digital Art Award and was a finalist in 2016 for both the London based Lumen Art Prize and the Contemporary Art Awards (Australia). In the past she has been shortlisted for international awards such as Screengrab and the Sunshine Coast Art Prize.
Donna has completed permanent public art works for the Mackay Base Hospital redevelopment, the Jezzine Barracks precinct in Townsville and many murals in the Mackay region including the Mackay Sugar Bowl.
Education and Project History
Curriculum Vitae
QUALIFICATIONS 2009 Master of Contemporary Arts, University of Tasmania - specialisation Photo media (High Distinction)
2004 Certificate IV Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft, CQIT
2011 Certificate IV Training and Assessment, CQIT
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS PERMANENT
2023 Scenic Rim Youth Animations - Beaudesert: permanent projection
2023 Sum of Everything - Grasstree Beach: 4 Murals
2021 Dust & Sequins - Perry Brothers installation, Blackall: Permanent projection
2020 Belonging - 18 River Street, Mackay: Mural
2020 AScEnT - Pioneer State High School, Mackay: 3 murals
2018 Sugar Bowl - Sugar Bowl Skate Park, Mackay: 13 murals and basketball markings
2018 Tessellation - Facebook/Instagram mural Fifth Lane, Mackay City
2015 Shortlisted to concept design - Franklin Square, Hobart Tasmania with Tracey Johnson
2012 The Gathering and Presence - Jezzine Barracks/Kissing Point/Garabarra, Townsville
2010 High Ground - 2D images Mackay Base Hospital Redevelopment
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS EPHEMERAL
2023 Immerse, Barrier Reef Festival, Airlie Beach
2023 Daly Bay Illuminate, Queens Park
2023 My Home, Proserpine QLD
2022 Anthropocene, Airlie Beach Foreshore, Barrier Reef Festival
2022 Immerse, Barrier Reef Festival, Airlie Beach
2022 Daly Bay Illuminate, Queens Park,Mackay 2021 Memories and Moments, Old Blackall Hospital, Blackall
2021 Koi, Blackall Cultural Hall, Blackall
2021 Immerse, Barrier Reef Festival, Airlie Beach
2021 DBCT Illuminate, Blue Water Quay, Mackay
2021 CQ Rescue Silver Jubilee Installation, CQ Rescue Mackay
2020 DBCT ILLUMINATE - Mackay Festival of the Arts, Blue Water Quay
2019 RISE - William Jolly Bridge Projection, Brisbane
2019 Pledge to the Planet - 8 m long Whale Projection, Canelands Mackay
2019 CASA - Italian Festival, Wood Street, Mackay 2018 Mackay Letters - Bluewater Quay Mackay 2018 FALL - fig tree projection for RADF Showcase MECC precinct Mackay
2018 DBCT ILLUMINATE - Mackay Festival of the Arts, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
2017 Elton John - Projections and light installation, Mackay City Centre
2017 Phytonomy - Yarrabilba Artwork Commission CreativeMove, Brisbane
2017 Timberfest - Art projections and installations
2017 DBCT ILLUMINATE Mackay Festival of the Arts, Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
2017 Owl Eyes - Happy Daze & Mushroom Valley Projections with fibre artist Kris Martin
2015 LXX - 70th Anniversary large-scale projections Rockhampton Little Theatre
2015 On the Fringe: Belonging - Community Art Project and projections Sarina Festival
2015 RISE - large-scale projection Pioneer Shire Building
2015 FlowMotion-ology - Boat Lantern projections
2015 SWOOP– Lorikeet Projection, Mackay UP Animating Spaces
2014 1900 - Hibernian Hall large-scale projection Animating Spaces, Roma
2014 River Sessions - Large-scale tree projection Mackay
2013 Memory Paths III, Video Installation, Greenmount Homestead Mackay
2012 Memory Paths, Video Installation, MECC Mackay
2012 Memory Paths I & IIVideo Installation, Artspace Mackay, River to Rock Pioneer Valley
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Constellations, Gympie Regional Art Gallery, Gympie
2018 Synesthesia, digital projection and installation for Ne:Roi Ballet MECC
2017 FALL, Water Screen Projection, Penny Royal, Launceston, Tasmania
2014 Far Away Here, Artspace Mackay, Queensland 2013 Reverse Polarity, Gúttó Gallery, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland
2011 Drift, Coalface Art Gallery, Moranbah, QLD 2011 Synergy, Ferns Gallery, CQIT Mackay, QLD 2010 Perspective (duo exhibition), Gargett Gallery and Studio, QLD
2010 Strata’s Edge, Seek Fine Art, Paddington, Sydney, NSW
2009 Strata’s Edge, Gallery 1/147 Adelaide Street, Brisbane, QLD
2009 Creation and Re-creation, Lagoons Gallery, Mackay, QLD
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Time of Our Lives, Artspace Mackay: Large Scale Projection
2023 'Immersive Light', Pacific Lutheran College, Sunshine Coast: Large Scale projection.
2022 Provoking Change -Anthropocene, Gallery 31, CQU Mackay, QLD 2021 (re)-action states of change, Jubilee Centre, MECC Precinct, Mackay
2020 Sugartime, Jubilee Center Mackay
2019 Unlikely Encounters - Visible Threads Crossroad Arts facilitator and projection artist
2018 An Unlikely Tour, Crossroad Arts facilitator, filmmaker and projection artist for the Homefield intergenerational project and the film Molly & Stew
2017 Afterimage,Onespace Gallery, Highgate Hill, Brisbane
2017 Refraction Fiji Greenhouse Exhibition, Mackay CQU Gallery
2016 EMERGENCE Art-Science collaboration Qld touring exhibition
2015 Planes of Reality - Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art
2014 DM ARI - Ryan Henshaw Gallery Window Space, Brisbane, QLD
2014 Animating Spaces - Roma, QLD
2014 Winter Night Festival - Melbourne, Vic
2013 Reverse Polarity & The Weight of Mountains - Skagaströnd, Iceland
2013 The Essential Character of Queensland - QRAA touring exhibition of QLD
2012 Breath and Vestiges: Bob Campbell - Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy Melbourne
2012 Breath - Screengrab New Media Awards, JCU Townsville
2012 Connection, Queensland Regional Arts Award, Flying Arts Touring Exhibition of QLD
2012 Looking Forward, Looking Back 150 years of Mackay, Artspace Mackay QLD
2012 Memory Paths I & II - Video Installation, Artspace Mackay, River to Rock
2011 Face Mash, New Media Art exhibition, Gordon White Library Mackay, QLD
2010 Nostalgia Video, Home Project, Digital Odyssey Mackay, QLD RESIDENCIES
2020 Artist in Residence – Digital Nature Project, Sarina
2018 Artist In Residence, Grandmas Place Day Care Centre, Sarina
2017 Artist In Residence, Grandmas Place Day Care Centre, Sarina
2016 Kings Bridge Cottage Artist in Residence, Cataract Gorge, Tasmania. December
2013 Nes Listamiðstöð artist residency, Skagaströnd, Iceland. November & December
2012 The Edge, Cultural Precinct, South Brisbane, Australia. February FILMS and VIDEO
2023 Porcelain, Music Video and art work for Continuum for Will Blume in collaboration with Sony Music Australia
2023 Pocket Sessions, documentary film
2021 Music Video for Tropical Sate of Mind
2021 Plastic Boutique documentary film
2020 Eungella - Creative recovery film
2019 Music promo video for Vicky O’Keefe
2018 Molly & Stew for the Crossroad Arts project An Unlikely Tour
2017 Documentation for Fiji Greenhouse Project
2017 REDFEST Promo Video, Redlands Spring Festival, Brisbane
2016 Wintermoon, 20th Anniversary Movie -Music Festival, Cameron’s Pocket, Australia
2016 BOY, music video for Will Anderson
2016 A River Runs Through It: Clarke Ranges Ecosystems and Threatened Species – Green Arts 2014 Dottir, Iceland
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2016 Finalist: Lumen Art Prize (London)
2016 Finalist: Contemporary Art Awards (Australia)
2014 Finalist: Sunshine Coast Art Prize 2014 Australia Day Mackay: Arts and Culture Award
2013 Mackay RADF: New Work Nes Listamiðstöð Artist Residency, Iceland
2012 Winner: Queensland Regional Art Awards, Digital Art Award, QLD
2012 Finalist: Screengrab International New Media Art Awards
2012 Regional Arts Fund: Memory Paths I, II & III
2011 Finalist: Queensland Regional Art Awards
2012 Touring exhibition – Connection
2010 Mentorship with Craig Walsh, Digital Odyssey Project, Mackay, QLD
2009 Regional Arts Development Fund: Tasmanian Summer School, TAS
2009 Off the Wall: Sydney, NSW PUBLISHED WRITING/MEDIA
2016 Daily Mercury - Capturing the wonder of science through art
2016 Real Time Arts – Australia’s critical guide to international contemporary arts
2014 Brisbane Art 2014 Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2014 Montage Graphix 2014 Brecknock Consulting
2012 Queensland Regional Art Awards
2012 Screengrab New Media Art Awards 2012
2014 ABC Tropical North radio interview, Artspace Mackay July 16 2014
2012 ABC Tropical North radio interview – Queensland Regional Art Awards, Oct 8
2012 Looking Forward, Looking Back 150 years of Mackay, Catalogue
2010 ABC Tropical North radio interview via phone from New York City, May 14 2010
2010 Australian Art Collector Issue # 51 January – March 2010
2010 art guide Australia, march/ april 2010
COLLECTIONS
Artspace, Mackay
Marcus Simpson – Head of Global Private Equity, QIC Brisbane
Dhana Merrit – Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane
Anna Thurgood – Director, Artspace Mackay
Julieanne Gilbert – Mackay Member for Parliament
Halldór Ólafsson - Chairman of NES and Managing Director of BioPol, Iceland
Private Collections (national and international)
ASSOCIATIONS
2016 – present Tutor Digital Media/Film, Central Queensland University Mackay
2010 – present Flying Arts Alliance, Accredited Member and Tutor
2011 – 2019 Board Member: Artspace Mackay Art Advisory Committee
2013 – 2015 Mackay Creatives Management Committee
2009 – 2012 Board Member: RADF committee Mackay
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