Sonia Payes (b.1956, Melbourne) is a contemporary artist who bridges the gap between traditional portraiture and the future of digital technology. Driven by a deep sensitivity to nature and the human condition, her practice has evolved from evocative landscapes into a sophisticated exploration of sculpture and 3D animation.
At the heart of her creative evolution is a process of constant reinvention. Payes frequently revisits her archives, utilising unseen studio shoots alongside new photography to create fresh, contemporary work that challenges the boundaries of visual storytelling. By merging classic beauty with modern innovation, her work transcends time, offering a visionary perspective on the intersection of humanity and technology.
CV
| 1956 | Born in Melbourne, Australia |
| Present |
Lives and works in Melbourne, Australia
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| 2025 | Renaissance: A Journey of Transformation, Museum of Australian Photography, Melbourne, Australia |
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FotoNostrum: Satellite, FotoNostrum Mediterranean House of Photography, El Born, Barcelona, Spain
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| 2024 |
Alchemy 2.0, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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| Alchemy, Ocean Drive Hotel, Barcelona, Spain | |
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Alchemy, SOHO Galleries, Wollahra, Sydney, Australia
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| 2023 |
Alchemy, Scott Livesey Galleries, Prahran, Australia
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| 2022 |
Transmutations 2022, Assembly Point, Creative Spaces City of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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There-is, Fringe World Festival, Northbridge, Western Australia, Australia
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| 2017 | Emergence, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne, Australia |
| 2016 |
Parallel Futures, McClelland Gallery+Sculpture Park, Victoria, Australia
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| Art16 London, Fehily Contemporary, UK |
| 2026 |
LA Art, Fabrik Projects, LA Convention Centre, California, USA
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| 2025 | ARTPark Sculpture Trail – Walsh Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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CONTEXT Art Miami, Fabrik Projects, One Herald Plaza, Florida, USA
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The Salon – Summer Group Exhibition, Scott Livesey Galleries, Prahran, Victoria, Australia
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Bowness Photography Prize (finalist), Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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| Sculptures in the Garden, Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia | |
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MONUMENT Sculpture Trail, Westfield Bondi Junction, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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SAP25 Sorrento Art Prize, & Gallery, Sorrento, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
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IbizArt Guide Annual Collective Exhibition, Centro Cultural de Jesús, Ibiza, Spain
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| CAN Art Fair: Contemporary Art Now, IbizArt Guide, Ibiza, Spain | |
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The 23rd Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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| 2024 |
“Personal Structures” Biennial Art Exhibition: Beyond Boundaries – Monument, ARTPark Sculpture Walks, Marinaressa Gardens, Venice, Italy
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Renaissance: A Journey of Transformation, Photo2024 International Festival of Photography, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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8th Biennale Fine Art & Photography, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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IbizArt Guide Annual Collective Exhibition, Centro Cultural de Jesús, Ibiza, Spain
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Woolloomooloo Sculpture Walk, ARTPark Australia, NSW, Australia
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| 2023 |
The World of Photography, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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IbizArt Guide Annual Collective Exhibition, Centro Cultural de Jesús, Ibiza, Spain
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Fisher’s Ghost Art Award 2023, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
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Das Kapital, Cecil Place Precinct, Prahran, Victoria, Australia
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Bowness Photography Prize, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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SWELL Sculpture Festival 2023, Currumbin, Queensland, Australia
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Arts in the Valley, Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia
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Olive Cotton Award, Tweed Regional Gallery, New South Wales, Australia
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| SONIA PAYES, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain | |
| The 19th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain | |
| 2022 |
3rd Barcelona Foto Biennale, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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| Montalto Sculpture Prize, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia | |
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Alchemy, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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PCP Collective 2022: 30th Anniversary Edition, Perth Centre for Photography, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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| Sculpture by the Sea & Sculpture Inside, Bondi, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
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Bowness Photography Prize, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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Sculptures in the Garden, Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia
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Sculpture in the Vineyards, Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival, New South Wales, Australia
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Mandorla Art Award, Holmes à Court Gallery, West Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Tom Bass Prize for Figurative Sculpture, Juniper Hall, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Sculpture by the Sea & Sculpture Inside, Cottesloe, Western Australia, Australia
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6th Biennale Fine Art & Photography, FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain
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| 2021 | Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, Deakin University Art Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Victoria Sculpture Exhibition, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
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| Twenty One: Gallery Artists, Scott Livesey Galleries, Prahran, Victoria, Australia | |
| STAGES: Life in Lockdown, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Australia | |
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I AM HERE, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Mandorla Art Prize, Stala Contemporary, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, Western Australia, Australia
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| notfair project space, Windsor, Victoria, Australia | |
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Southeast Museum of Photography, Florida, USA
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| Montalto Sculpture Prize, Red Hill, Victoria, Australia | |
| 2020 | Sculptures in the Gardens, Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia |
| Wyndham Art Gallery Online Art Prize, Wyndham, Victoria, Australia | |
| Gippsland Art Aid, Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, Victoria, Australia | |
| 2019 | NOW Contemporary, Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra, New South Wales, Australia |
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Browness Prize, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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| Sydney Contemporary, Scott Livesey Galleries, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
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Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award, Queensland, Australia
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Sculptures in the Valley, Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia
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Sculpture by the Sea, Western Australia, Australia
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| 2017 | Australians in PNG: Terra Mysteria, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia |
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Sculpture by the Sea & Sculpture Inside, Bondi, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| 2018 | Mona Farm, Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia |
| 2016 | City of Melville, Robert Street Park, Cnr Leach Hwy & North Lake Drive, Winthrop, Western Australia, Australia |
| 2026 |
MONUMENT Sculpture Trail, Walsh Bay, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| 2024 – 2025 |
City of Monash, Museum of Australian Photography, Monash, Victoria, Australia
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| 2023 – 2025 | Mornington Peninsula, Frankston City Council,Victoria, Australia |
