Gabby Malpas

I am a graduate of the Otago Art School, Dunedin NZ with a major in ceramics 1986. I consider and challenge the genre of Chinoiserie with my own narrative as a Chinese adoptee raised by white parents in NZ, reclaiming my heritage later in life. The resulting works are beautiful, delicate but with stories that draw you in for a closer look. This is a calculated contrast to the sometimes-confronting messages within my work. A proud maximalist, I currently live and work on Gadigal land of the Eora Nation, Sydney, Australia.


Awards:
Finalist: Ravenswood Art Prize, Australia 2024
Finalist, North Sydney Art Prize, Australia 2024
Finalist: Art Gemini Prize Singapore 2023
Finalist: Paddington Art Prize Australia 2022
Finalist: Gosford Art Prize Australia 2022/2023
Finalist: FLOW Art prize Australia 2022/2023
Finalist: crackpot cup awards Australia – ceramics 2023
Distinguished Alumini Award: Dunedin Art School NZ, 2021
Finalist: Small Things Art award, Sydney 2021
Finalist: Greenway Art Prize, Sydney 2021
Finalist: Art Revolution Taipei 2017, 2018, invited artist 2019
Finalist: Mosman Art Prize, Australia 2016
Finalist: Moreton Bay Art Prize, Australia 2016
Finalist: Kirribilli Art Prize, Australia 2016
Finalist: Fleurieu Food & Wine Art prize, Australia 2016
Selected to hang: Linden Postcard Show, Australia 2015/2016
Selected to exhibit: James Kiwi Watercolour Prize, Australia 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021
Highly commended: Westmead Hospital Art Prize, Australia 2012
Finalist: Nora Heysen Centenary Art Prize, Australia – Still life 2011
Highly commended, Watercolour: Blacktown City Art Prize, Australia: 2011 & 2012
Finalist: National Trust Harper’s Mansion Art Prize, Australia – Still life 2011
Finalist: Hornsby Art Prize, Australia 2011


Selected solo exhibitions:
Chat Thai X Gabby Malpas: CNY 2024 Feb -Mar 2024
Window Display at the Ridge St Gallery, North Sydney August 2023
‘Stop Asian hate’, Newtown Art Seat Nov 2022 – Feb 2023
‘Poetic Resistance’ Baker Miller Pink Gallery Sydney October 2022
The painted garden, Dunedin NZ October 2021
Love and kisses COVID19, Chrissie Cotter Gallery November 2020
Peranakan Dreams, Singapore February 2020
Springtime Happiness, Cordis Hotel, Hong Kong March 2019
The Magic Garden, Artshine Gallery, Chippendale December 2017
Happy: The Crawford Gallery, Sydney March 2017
Chasing the Dragon: Artshine Gallery, Chippendale Nov -Dec 2016
The Other Art Fair, Waterloo, Sydney September 2016
In my mothers’ gardens and other stories St Vincents Hospital Dec 2015 – Jan 2016
Leaping rabbit, hidden butterfly Platform72 Gallery, Chippendale August 2015
I will not love you long time and other stories
Breathing Colours Gallery, Balmain May 2015
Where are you from? Platform72, Sydney October 2014
Bringing the Sydney Garden Inside St Vincents Hospital May 2013
Pictures to make you smile St Vincent’s Hospital, Paddington, Sydney March 2011
Sydney Pictures Art at Home Gallery, Balmain, Sydney February 2010
Art Sydney 2009/2010, Fox Studios, Sydney October 2009/Nov 2010
Commissioned work for in store gallery
Liberty Store Art gallery, Regent St London Oct-Dec 1997
One woman show Christchurch Society of Art Gallery, New Zealand February 1992


Selected group shows:
Work in store: Australian Design Centre Ongoing 2024
Art + Memory: Dunedin NZ August 2024
Send me Across the Sea, San Francisco, USA April 2024
The Tea Exchange. Museum of Chinese in Australia, Sydney February - Apr 2024
Work Instore, The Australian Design Centre, Sydney Feb 2024
The Guangxi Normal University Press Art Gallery October 2023
Culture Crash, Aro Gallery Sydney November 2019
Art Revolution: invited artist: Taipei April 2019
Bloom, Incinerator Artspace October 2018
The Singapore/HK Affordable Art Fairs with Utterly Art, Singapore November 2017-present
Dis/Harmony Thienny Lee Gallery, Edgecliff, Sydney July 2017
Underwater escapade Amalgam Art, Barnes London March 1996
Plunket art exhibition Aigantighe Art Gallery, Timaru New Zealand June 1994
Brush and Spitsticker, West Oxfordshire arts association Oxfordshire February 1993
Art and craft New Zealand Llantarnam Grange, Cwmbran Wales August 1992
Anna Mei Chadwick Galleries Summer show Parsons Green London August 1990/1991
Southland Potter’s annual exhibition Winton New Zealand May 1991
Timaru City Art Gallery annual exhibition Timaru New Zealand May 1990


Press:
The Peranakan Association Magazine, Singapore June 2015, April 2019
The Daily Telegraph, Arts section: Gabby Malpas 16 October 2014
The Sydney Morning Herald: Spectrum 12 April 2014
Gabby Malpas: Artist's profile: Australian Art Review: Nov/Dec 2012: Issue 36

Links:
Eastern Standard Times media:
https://www.easternstandardtimes.com/episode/mini-docs-gabby-malpas
ONE KINGS LANE USA Dec 2017 spotlight
https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/gabby-malpas-art/
Tourism NZ 2015
http://media.newzealand.com/en/news/tourism-new-zealand-world-first-embraces-colouring/
Arches paper interview
http://www.arches-papers.com/the-floral-and-colourful-watercolours-by-gabby-malpas/
Arocolor Shanghai feature article:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8ItplewowxSTB-G2Cb_WJw
The Universal Asian:
https://theuniversalasian.com/2021/06/01/update-may-2021-7-years-on-from-writing-the-first-piece/
Chatswood Chase Sydney A/W2017 launch collaboration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmMPnbR5o7g
The Peranakan Association of Singapore:
https://www.peranakan.org.sg/2015/08/the-adoptee-as-artist/