Andrea is a Kaurna Yarta-based artist, curator and educator whose practice spans print,installation, light, sound, textiles and sculpture. She trained at Adelaide Central School of Art, AC Arts, School of the Art Institute ofChicago and University of SA, and holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (2008) and Master of Visual Arts (2018).
Her practice focusses on personal experiences and contemporary issues. The work is mostly abstracted with form, colour and repetition fundamental to her visual language. Much of what she sees and feels is perceived in this way, while the choice of materials and construction are concept and context responsive, with the work taking shape in two or three-dimensional space.
Embracing new or emerging technologies and materials, has used laser cutting techniques to create printing plates, sculptural items and installation components; 3D printing for sculptural objects; plus, lighting and sound recordings to produce immersive and interactive landscapes.
Over the course of her career, she has taken every opportunity to engage in meaningful programs including a mentorship with an international lighting artist, two Helpmann Academy Mentorships, Tara Donovan Studio Workshop during the Adelaide Festival, international study at the School of the Art Institute Chicago and residences at OxBow School of Art,Michigan and Banff Centre, Canada. In 2021 she was selected to take part in the inaugural 2-year studio program at Post Office Projects, Port Adelaide.
Working collaboratively is also an important part of Andrea's activities. She has worked with a number of Australian and international artists to create collaborative installation works and continues to curate the Sister City intercontinental collaborative project which brings Australian and international artists together as collaborative teams.
Andrea has a broad exhibition history and most recently held solo exhibitions Transfiguring the Terrain at SASA Gallery, followed by Chi-Town Chronicles, a survey of her Chicago-inspired work at praxis ARTSPACE.
Her practice has been supported through various programs; ArtsSA grants, Australian Postgraduate Award, SAIC New Artist Society Scholarship, Leroy Neiman Foundation Scholarship (OxBox School of Art), Ian Potter Cultural Trust Grant, NAVA Grant and two Helpmann Academy Mentorships.
In 2022 Andrea was selected for the Illuminate Adelaide Graduate Pathway Program to present work for upcoming festivals.
Her work has been chosen as a finalist for many Australian awards, such as Print Council of Australia Print Commission, Fremantle Print Award and Australian Print Triennial Print Award, and is held in collections including the Art Gallery of South Australia, Print Council of Australia, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Westminster College, Canson Australia, State Library of Victoria, University of Adelaide’s University Collections and the Brooklyn Art Library, New York.
Andrea is fully dedicated to expanding her skills at every opportunity, working collaboratively with other artists, and engaging in new ways of thinking and making to create approachable yet compelling work that expresses her sensibilities. It is important to her that her work draws in the audience to be more than a passive viewer. They don’t necessarily need to fully ‘get’ the premise, just that it makes them stop and feel something new or familiar in themselves.