Jason Phu (b.1989, Sydney) currently lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Phu’s multi-disciplinary practice brings together a wide range of, sometimes contradictory, references from traditional ink paintings and calligraphy to mass-produced objects, everyday vernacular to official records, personal narratives to historical events. Working across drawing, installation, painting and performance, the artist frequently uses humour as a device to explore experiences of cultural dislocation.
Phu graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours degree. He is a Sulman Prize winner in 2015, double Archibald Prize finalist in 2014 and 2015, and double Sulman Prize finalist in 2018 and 2019. He has had numerous solo exhibitions in Australia, including Westspace, Melbourne; CCAS Gorman Arts Centre, Canberra; and ALASKA Projects, Sydney; ACE Open, Adelaide. In 2018, he exhibited in the Dobell Drawing Biennale at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Burrangong Affray at the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and Primavera 2018 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
CV
| 2013 | Started Masters of Fine Arts in Research (Discontinued in 2015), University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts |
| 2011 | Graduated from University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours |
| 2010 | Central Academy of Fine Arts, China, Beijing, Printmaking Residency |
| 2009 | Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Canada, exchange semester |
| Present | Work and based in Sydney |
| 2019 | (July) Real Real, livestream performance program, Campbelltown Arts Centre, curated by Jessica Olivieri |
| The faces of guanxiu’s sixteen friends, the luohans of his feverish dreams, Vermilion Art, Sydney | |
| Prototype, video art subscription service, online project, curated by Lauren Carroll Harris | |
| I wake from my midday naps with a terrible thirst, Chalk Horse, Sydney | |
| 2018 | In the past there were moments of peace, in the future there will be less, when we die there is sleep, Alaska Projects |
| My parents met at the fish market West Space 2017 Commission work presented at ACE Open, Adelaide | |
| The fruit was sweeter then, the fish were more plentiful, Alaska Projects, curated by Grace Patridge and James Nguyen | |
| 2017 | My parents met at the fishmarkets, Westspace, Melbourne, (Westspace commission to make a work across all four galleries) |
| A shrine for the horse headed god of safe travels and a shrine for the pig headed god of celebration, Underbelly Arts Festival 2017, National Art School | |
| Lesser saints and the demons they carry, commission by Art Fairs Australia for Sydney Contemporary at Barangaroo, The Cutaway | |
| 2016 | I pray at ashes of my grandmother and at the photo of my grandfather who I’ve never met. I pray for big chunks of meat, for big bowls of |
| alcohol and for sex. They send me demons to battle. ALASKA Projects, William street, Australia | |
| I haven’t made the work yet but I’ll be there a week beforehand which should be plenty of time Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, Australia | |
| I’M GONNA FLY FROM SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE. I’M GONNA HAVE A BIG HORSE HAIR BRUSH AND THEN PAINT SOMETHING WHEN I | |
| GET TO MELBOURNE Nicholas Projects, Melbourne, Australia | |
| bull shit is more nutritious than dog shit Organhaus Art Space, Chongqing, China | |
| 2015 | a pomelo, a bowl of beef noodle soup and a pair of slippers Dimensions Art Centre, Chongqing, China |
| It’s all google translated or taken from chinese newspapers I can’t read Ray Hughes Gallery, NSW | |
| 2014 | Irreverants Gaffa Gallery, NSW |
| This is what I think about some of the time, the rest of the time I watch tv or drink beer or sometimes both Ray Hughes Gallery, NSW | |
| 2013 | Lots of jasonphus. Archive Space, NSW |
| ⼥女⼥士，先⼥生们，2008 年 H 。M 。S 。GOLDEN CENTURY 即将进 攻 BONDIBEACH 。注意安全，⼥一路顺⼥风 。 Kudos Gallery, NSW | |
| 2011 | The Pub (collaboration with Andrew Burford) Kudos Gallery, NSW |
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The great parade of Spirits, Demons and Pissheads of George St. on the fifth Saturday of the 12th month in the light of a three-quarter moon COFA Space, NSW
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| 2019 | Our Common Bond, May Space, curated by Olivia Welch |
| Stop Peeping, Cement Fondu, Sydney | |
| 2018 | Primavera 2018, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, curated by Megan Robson |
| The Burrangong Affray, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, curated by Micheal Do | |
| Play Back Dobell Drawing Biennale, AGNSW, curated by Matt Cox | |
| Human Jerky, Verge Gallery, Sydney | |
| 2017 | Losing Farther, Losing Faster Alaska Projects, Sydney, curated by Bradley Vincent |
| Closing the Distance Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Melbourne, curated by Sophia Cai | |
| 2016 | #BFF: The Politics of Friendship Artereal Gallery, Sydney, curated by Rhianna Walcott |
| 2015 | From Old Ground Bathurst Regional Gallery, curated by Joanna Bayndrian |
| A robot attempts to eat a chicken nugget Firstdraft Gallery, curated by Luke Letourneau Bridges of Expansion Gaffa Gallery, NSW | |
| 2014 | Small Sculptures Ray Hughes Gallery, NSW |
| Slow Burn Kudos Gallery, NSW | |
| We visited in canoes, we swam in freshwater rivers and we conquered from our ships 107 Projects, NSW | |
| 2013 | Investable Contemporary Art Annual Archive Space |
| Lifes a Beach Ray Hughes Gallery, NSW | |
| Perspectiva 2.0 COFA Campus, NSW | |
| Drawing Now Ivan Dougherty Gallery, NSW | |
| Wontons and Meatpies Robin Gibson Gallery, NSW | |
| Paper Trail Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney, NSW | |
| Launch Sequence Kudos Gallery, Sydney, NSW | |
| 2012 | Beautiful Soup St Heliers Street Gallery, VIC |
| Mind and Reality COFA Space | |
| Familiar Unfamiliar Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW/ Swan Hill Regional Gallery, VIC/ c3 contemporary artspace, VIC | |
| 2011 | The Final Word UNSW Square House, NSW |
| Art and Environment COFA Space, NSW | |
| Kung Fu and Ray-Guns Gallery Red, NSW | |
| Paper Trail Robin Gibson Gallery, NSW | |
| Greatest Hits Volume 2 Verge Gallery, NSW |
| 2018 | By Hand: Rediscovering the Art of Printmaking De La Salle – College of Santi Benilde, Manila |
| 2016 | bull shit is more nutritious than dog shit, Organhaus Art Space, Chongqing, China |
| 2015 | a pomelo, a bowl of beef noodle soup and a pair of slippers, Dimensions Art Centre, Chongqing, China |
| North American and Australasian Bestiary University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA | |
| AMSTERDAMS GRAFISCH ATELIER Gallery 10+10, Amsterdam | |
| 2014 | Fantasy Asia Indus Valley School of Art, Pakistan |
| Bridges of Expansion Southern Graphics Council International 2014 San Francisco | |
| 2013 | Exposición de arte en Variete Varieté Gallery, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico City |
| Throwdown Press Hong Kong Graphic Art Festival 2013, Hong Kong | |
| 2012 | Begin with Printmaking: the Practice of Mixmedia and Transboundary Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China |
| 2011 | Mind and Reality Roxaboxen Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA |
| Messages From The South Contemporary Australian Prints From COFA UNSW NTUA Gallery, National Taiwan University of Arts, Taiwan | |
| The International Art on Paper Exhibition 2011 The Faculty of Art and Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Lana, Thailand. |
| 2019 | Sulman Prize AGNSW, Finalist |
| 2017 | NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging), Finalist, Artspace, Sydney |
| Ramsay Art Prize, Finalist, Art Gallery of South Australia | |
| 2016 | Glenfiddich Artist in Residence, Finalist, winner TBA |
| Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Highly Commended | |
| 2015 | Freedman Foundation Travelling Art Scholarship, Winner |
| Archibald Portrait Prize AGNSW, Finalist | |
| Sulman Prize AGNSW, Winner | |
| 2014 | Tim Olsen Drawing Prize, Kudos Gallery, Highly Commended |
| Archibald Prize AGNSW, Finalist | |
| 2012 | Macquarie Group Emerging Art Prize, Finalist (nominated by Noel McKenna) |
| 2011 | Gallery Barry Keldoulis Award, Winner |
| 2010 | The Art Scene Award, Winner |
| Glebe Art Show, Works on Paper section, Winner |
| 2019 | (July) Gertrude Contemporary Studio Program, Melbourne |
| Newington College, Sydney, Artist-in-Residence | |
| 2017 | JOJO KOBE Screenprint Studio, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| 2016 | C.A.P. Studio (Chiang Mai Art on Paper) Residency, Chiang Mai, Thailand |
| 2015 | Organhaus International Artist Residency, Chongqing, China |
| Chongqing AIR (Artist in Residency) Chongqing, China | |
| 2010 | Central Academy of Fine Arts, China, Beijing, Printmaking Residency |
| 2015 | Art Month Art Bar commission at Wellington St. Chippendale |
| 2014 | Poulet’s Backdoor Residency lol, but actually painted the door behind his house |
| UNSWAAD ARC Mural Project, Courtyard Site |
| 2016 | Hhhhappy Magazine, artist profile October |
| Art Almanac, artist profile October | |
| Canberra Times, by Peter Haynes, review of show at CCAS | |
| Art Asia Pacific 99, New Currents Section | |
| 2015 | Art Collector, 50 things collectors should know, Issue 71 2015 |
| Broadsheet, artist profile | |
| Countless Voices Blog, by Greta Stonehouse, artist profile | |
| UNSW Newsroom, by Amy Coopes, artist profile, | |
| Concrete Playground, by Elise Newtown, review of show at Ray Hughes Gallery | |
| 2014 | Raven Contemporary, February, review of solo show at The Hughes Gallery, Surry Hills NSW by Chloe Wolifson |
| The Art Life, February, review of solo show at The Hughes Gallery, Surry Hills, NSW by Andrew Frost | |
| ARC Framework Issue 8 Social Change, by Tahjee Moree and Olivia welch Imprint Magazine, 2014 Volume 49 Number 2, The Drawing Issue | |
| 2013 | Imprint magazine Winter 2013, Review of ‘Mirror Mirror: Throwdown Press’ Article written by David Greenhalj |
Print Council of Australia (PCA)
UNSW College of Fine Arts (COFA)
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD)
Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing
Special Collections of School of the Art Institue of Chicago (SAIC)
Artists Books Library Indus Vallery School of Art and Architecture collection, Pakistan
Charles Sturt University
