Awards, Prizes & Residencies

2014 University of Sydney Medal for Honours dissertation, BECOMING - Subjectivity. Icons and Identity for a Feminine Institutionalised Underclass and the associated artwork XX-Class/if/y

2014 Dean’s Award – Print Media, for the work XX-Class/if/y 2014 Finalist - Hidden, Ethereal Bodies-Ritual and Desire, Sculpture and
installation, in collaboration with The Peculiar Annes, Rookwood cemetery

2014 Finalist - Woollahra Small Sculpture, Seraph, Sculpture, (The Peculiar Annes), Woolhara Council 2014 Honours Scholarship - The University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts

2013 The Dean’s Merit and Achievement Award, The University of Sydney

2013 Best Cover Image - Honi Soit University paper awards, Kiss my FAT Ass, Digital

2013 Highly Commended - Verge Awards Salvation, (tryptich), Verge Gallery

2013 Winner - Red Rattler Studio submission with Filmmaker Kelli Jean Drinkwater

Solo and group* exhibitions

2016    M Contemporary,  Amor-Idem, joint exhibition with Janet Parker Smith, Collage, Sewn Text and Digital Photographs

2015    See Street Gallery, Play, Smack, Honey, Digital Photographs, Looking for Sound.

2015    M Contemporary, Feral, Sculpture, Janet Parker-Smith and Claude Jones (The Peculiar Annes), Mythologies of My Land.

2015    Carlton Project Space - Central Park, Class/if/y, Felt and projection, Chippendale New World Art Prize.*

2015    Cross Arts Books, Unbecoming-Becoming, Giclee print and embroidery, Notes to a Future Feminist.*
2015    Club Kooky, Shrine of Receptivity, projection and multi media with objects.*
2015    M Contemporary, Sensibilities, Felt and projection installation, New Artists Initiative.*

2014    Museum of Contemporary Art, Feminam Circulum, Performance/installation with Kelli Jean Drinkwater. Curated Justin Shoulder  

           & Glita Militia, ArtBar.*

2014    Woollahra Council, Seraph, Sculpture, Janet Parker-Smith and Claude Jones (The Peculiar Annes) Woollahra Small

           Sculpture(finalist).*

2014    Petty Cash, Salvation, Patti, Gough, Frida, Digital Collage, water colour,embroidery, neon.

2014    Rookwood Cemetery, Ethereal Bodies-Ritual and Desire, Sculpture and installation, in collaboration with The Peculiar Annes, 

           Hidden.*

2013    Verge Gallery, Curator and participating artist, Fallen & Kiss My FAT Ass, The University of Sydney, Queering The Body.*

2012    Gaffaa Gallery, Harry, Screen print and Neon, Pound of Flesh.*

2012    Dedspace, Fallen, Screen Print, USYD, Queering The Body.*

2012    Jesters Seed, Harry, Screen Print, Whose Gender?*

2012    Plump Gallery, Play, Smack, Honey, 3 Photographs, Luscious.*

2011    Red Rattler, Queer-y-ing Femme - video Installation, Blue Betty.

2010    ESP Gallery, Plump, Photographs, Marrickville Women’s Salon.*

2010    ACON Art Auction, Kiss My FAT Ass, Digital Media.*

2010    Red Rattler, You leave me with Ethereal Bruises - video Installation, Checkerball.*

Collections

Institutional 

The Whitlam Institute, Gough- God, 75 x 110 cm’s, Digital collage, Swarovski Crystals, Embroidery, Water Colour and Neon Salvation, Sydney, Australia.

The Empire Hotel, Harry, 95 x 120 cms, Screen Print and Water Colour, Sydney, Australia.

Personal Lisa Herrod, Harry, 95 x 120 cms, Screen Print and neon, Sydney, Australia.

Patti Smith Family Collection, x 2 Patti-Jesus, 75 x 110, Digital collage, Embroidery and Water Colour, New York, USA.

Publications

Written 

2013 Honi Soit, article: Fat Bottomed Swimmers

2012 (March 19) Somatechnics -Edinburgh University Press, DANGER Curves Ahead

Visual 

2014 Sydney College of the Arts, Degree Show Catalogue cover 

2013 Honi Soit, Cover image, Kiss my FAT Ass, Digital  

Conferences

2010 Fat Studies-A Critical Dialogue Conference, Presented paper Borderline Sexy: Fat and the body in performance at; Somatechnics,

        Macquarie University,Sydney

2010 Bodies Abound exhibition, Fat Studies-A Critical Dialogue Conference, Performed Danger Curves Ahead, Exhibited Plump,

        photograph, TwentyTen, Newtown

2010 Camp Betty, Presented Paper, Queer(y)ing Sexy, Red Rattler, Marrickville

2013 Unpacking Femme, Queer Conference, Presented Paper Virtually Queer: public/private boundaries in social media, and panel, UTS 

Media links

Sydney College of the Arts Graduation Show Catalogue - Cover designed by Cleo Gardiner

https://sydney.edu.au/content/dam/corporate/documents/faculty-of-arts-and-social-sciences/schools/sca/SCA-degrees-show-catalogue-winter-2014.pdf

The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize media

                                      http://sculptureprize.woollahra.nsw.gov.au/sculptures/list/seraph

The Queer Edition - Australia,  Miyuki Baker (click on bottom right of page to flip pages)   

                                      http://issuu.com/miyukibaker/docs/australia_queer_zine/1 

Sydney College of the Arts, Graduation Show Media

                                      https://wordvine.sydney.edu.au/files/1004/6955/

The University Of Sydney - PR & Media using Cleo's artworks

                                      http://sydney.edu.au/sca/future-students/profiles.shtml

MCA ArtBar                       http://www.mca.com.au/artbar-pages/2014/ 

Bespoke Laser                  http://bespokelaser.com/project/cleo-gardiner-art-project/

 

Verge Gallery                     http://verge-gallery.net/2013/01/07/queering-the-body-first-show-of-2013/ 

The AU Review   

 http://www.theaureview.com/sydney/mark-tedeschi-qc-cleo-gardiner-in-conversation-about-eugenia-falleni-harry-crawford-empire-hotel-anna

Alt Media                           http://emmasalkild.com/2013/01/13/queering-the-body/

Honi Soit                           http://honisoit.com/author/cleo-gardiner/ 

Published Writing DANGER- Curves Ahead

                                        http://www.euppublishing.com/toc/soma/2/1

Esther's Table - Etching Series

https://estherstabledotcom.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/seventh-exhibition-etchings-from-the-barnyard-series-by-annandale-artist-cleo-gardiner/

Marrickville Women's Salon  http://www.marrickvillewomenssalon.com/artist-gallery.php

Artist CV

Cleo Gardiner is a cross disciplinary, conceptual artist. Her work includes the exploration of issues relating to identity, icons, desire, class, sexuality, size positive representations of the body, gender & gender identities. Her work often includes text which illustrates how words can inspire, rupture and embrace ones self. She suggests, through text and icons, we see parts of ourselves mirrored as a jigsaw of positive and diverse referents. Ones, which observe and honour our varied differences. Through works like XX-Class/if/y she celebrates the joy of words and how they mark, commemorate and even liberate us. Her collages of text, map  identity as both a cultural and collective memory; illustrating a personal journey, an unravelling or unbecoming to become.

Her writing has been published in Edinborough press’ Somatechnic’s journal and she has been in group exhibitions at M Contemporary, Gaffaa Gallery and the Woollahra Small Sculpture Award exhibition (with the collective "The Peculiar Annes"). She curated the exhibition Queering the Body at Verge Gallery and more recently created an installation for Club Kooky. In collaboration with Kelli Jean Drinkwater, she presented an installation and performance at The Museum of Contemporary Art, as part of Justin Shoulder and Glitter Militia's Nightcraft. 2014 also culminated in winning the Dean's prize (Print Media) and a University Medal for her Honours thesis and artwork.  Cleo’s mediums are etching, screen print, performance, digital photography, collage, multi media installations and sound pieces.​

About the artist