NARELLE 
DESMOND

b. 1970 Melbourne/Naarm, Australia. Lives and works Melbourne/Naarm, Australia



EDUCATION

2021 -
PhD Candidature, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne/Naarm

1996 - 1999
Bachelor of Fine Art, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne/Naarm



SOLO EXHIBITIONS  

2023
The Renshaws’, Brisbane/Meanjin [forthcoming]
Autotimer, FUTURES, Collingwood, Melbourne/Naam)
On Hold (Opus Number 1), Gertrude Glasshouse, Collingwood, Melbourne/Naam

2022
It’s About Time, Conners Conners Gallery, Fitzroy Town Hall, Melbourne/Naarm

2019
Y’Verde, Station Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm

2017
Smart Objects Awkward Relations, Caves Gallery, Nicholas Building, Melbourne/Naarm

2008
Bomb Disposal Unit, Image Gallery, Beijing, China

2004
Bumper Spread, TCB Art Inc, Waratah Place, Melbourne/Naarm)



GROUP EXHIBITIONS  

2022
Studio Artists Exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary, Preston, Melbourne/Naarm

2021
It’s Raining in Sunshine, LON Gallery, Richmond, Melbourne/Naarm
Studio Artists Exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary, Preston, Melbourne/Naarm
The Yellow Wallpaper, curated by Laura Coutie for Spring 1883, Station Gallery, South Yarra, Melbourne/Naarm
TEN YEAR SHOW, Station Gallery, South Yarra, Melbourne/Naarm

2020
The World is a Teenager, LON Gallery, Collingwood, Melbourne/Naarm

2019
Spring 1883, Room 231, Caves Gallery, The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne/Naarm

2018
Unfinished Business: Perspectives on Art and Feminism, Australian Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne/Naarm

2017
Sculpture Party, curated by Claire Ulenberg, C3 Gallery, St Helliers Convent, Abbotsford, Melbourne/Naarm

2013
Texticles, Melbourne Art Fair, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne/Naarm

2011
I Like Your Small Opening, curated by Nat Thomas, Hell Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm

2010
Girls Girls Girls, curated by Nat Thomas and Lyndal Walker, The Carlton Hotel Upstairs Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
Imported Incorruptibles, Red Gate residency, Image Gallery, Beijing, China

2009
Secrets from Home, curated by Jan Duffy, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda, Melbourne/Naarm
Taking Care of Business, TCB Art Inc, Waratah Place, Melbourne/Naarm

2007
A Reconstructed World, curated by Jan Duffy, Linden Centre of Contemporary Arts, St Kilda, Melbourne/Naarm




DAMP

1995-2019



SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019
Goodbye, Caves Gallery, Nicolas Building, Melbourne/Naarm

2014
The Harrison Collection, Neon Parc, Melbourne/Naarm

2010
Book of Shadows, Studio 12, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces 2008
Scene 1, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne/Naarm

2007
Untitled 2007, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
A World Full of Hurt, Utopian Slumps, inaugural exhibition, Melbourne/Naarm

2004
A Fete Worse than Death, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
More Than a Feeling, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide/Tarntanya



GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2017
Redlands Art Prize, National Art School, Sydney/Gadigal Land
Gurguis Art Prize, Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat

2016
Authenticity, Incinerator Gallery, Footscray, Melbourne/Naarm
Gormenghast, Collaboration with MAP architects, Art Holds a High Place in my Life, PHD by Rose Forde

2015
Darebin Art Prize, Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Melbourne/Naarm
From the Collection, Benalla Art Gallery, Benalla, Victoria, Curated by Emily Cormack
Art is a Verb, Artspace, Sydney/Gadigal Land
TCB Fundraiser, TCB, Melbourne/Naarm

2014
Art is a Verb, MUMA, Monash University, Melbourne/Naarm
FIN and Infinite Variety, Utopian Slumps, Melbourne/Naarm
Dear Masato all at Once, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, VCA, Melbourne/Naarm

2013
Direct Democracy, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne/Naarm Curated by Geraldine Barlow
My Avante Garde is Bigger than Yours, Kings ARI, Melbourne/Naarm curated by Nik Pappas

2012
Storytelling, Bristol Biennale, various sites Bristol, England
Or either silver lining, TCB Inc. Melbourne/Naarm curated by Lisa Radford

2011
Forever Young: 30 years of the Heide Collection, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne/Naarm

2010
Gertrude Studios Artists Exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary Artists spaces, Melbourne/Naarm
20 Years of Platform, Platform Artist Spaces, Melbourne/Naarm
Some Like it Boxed, TCB Inc, Melbourne/Naarm
Super Market, Gertrude Contemporary Artists Spaces, Melbourne/Naarm, curated by Kim Brockett

2009
Asia Pacific Triennale 6, GOMA, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane/Meanjin, Queensland
Gertrude Studio Artists Exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary Artists Spaces,
Melbourne Bedroom Poster Series, Joint Hassles, Thornbury, Melbourne/Naarm
Wayfaring, Latrobe University Museum of Art, Melbourne/Naarm curated by Vince Alessi

2008
Hard Party, an artist’s interpretation of a party cruise, various locations Sydney Harbour, Sydney/Gadigal Land curated by Lara Thoms
Eulogy for the Most’s Wake, Instructional performance, Cooley Gallery, Portland, Oregon
Group Group Show, DAMP curated exhibition featuring art groups Chicks on Speed, A Constructed World,
Damp, Pat Foster and Berean, The Hotham Street Ladies, The M.O.S.T., Norma, Safari Team, santomatteo and
spat+loogie, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, VCA, Melbourne/Naarm
MHUL 2, facilitated workshop with emerging indigenous artists, ACMI, Melbourne/Naarm

2007
Overcoming Loathing, pamphlet series curated by artist David Hatcher and Natural Selection magazine
distributed as part of the 2006 Mostlandia Anthem, performance for art group Most and the Melbourne
International Festival, Melbourne/Naarm

2006
Axis Bold As Love, TCB inc, Melbourne, Le CAPC Musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux, curated by Evergreen Terrace James Deutsher and Liv Barrett
Revolutions: Forms that Turn, Biennale of Sydney, online venue, curated by Caroline Christov-Bakargiev
Group Group Show, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne/Naarm
Bartertown, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm curated by Nadine Christensen
Big in Japan, Gallery Side 2, Tokyo, Japan
A Short Ride in a Fast Machine, 20-year anniversary exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne/Naarm
Team Show, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm

2005
Together Again, DAMP with A Constructed World, Basekamp Gallery, Philadelphia, USA
The Flower Show, Gyp-see, Mikal Shapiro, Kansas City, USA
Thought I Knew But I Was Wrong - New Video Art from Australia, various venues including Chulalongkorn
University Gallery Bangkok, Millennium Monument Beijing and Ssamziespace Seoul curated by Alexi Glass
and Sarah Tutton Multiple Miscellaneous Alliances, Clubs Project Inc, Melbourne/Naarm
Untitled Painting, permanent installation at Hells Kitchen, Melbourne/Naarm

2004
Australian Culture Now, National Gallery of Victoria and Australian Centre of the Moving Image curated by
Jason Smith, Kelly Gellatly, Charles Green, Alexie Glass and Alessio Cavallero
Concern, Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and the Victorian College of the Arts Gallery curated by Stuart Koop
South Side Festival, State Treasury Building, Melbourne/Naarm curated by Jan Duffy
Nightvision, Gallery 4A, Sydney/Gadigal Land curated by Larissa Hjorth
The Grand Tour, Real Casa dell’Annunziata-Ipego, Naples with A Constructed World
Drama is Conflict, Linden Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne/Naarm curated by Jan Duffy

2003
Something Something Video Something, Artspace, Sydney/Gadigal Land
Feedback, Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne/Naarm, curated by Charlotte Day
New Entries, Artissima Art Fair, Turin, Italy
Giovedi One Week in A Constructed World, video with ACW

2002
Stupid, video salon, curated by ACW, Serpentine Gallery, London
Sending and Receiving, live web cast with art groups ACW London, Praxis New York and DAMP Melbourne/Naarm, Serpentine Gallery, London
The Team Show 2, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
Charley, Installation and publication, PS1, New York, curated by Maurizio Cattelan and Ali Subtonick Something
Something Video Something, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
The Team Show, Uplands Gallery, Melbourne/Naarm
Octopus 2, 200 Gertrude Street, Melbourne/Naarm, curated by Russell Storer
Are You Experienced? rubik 10 The Physics Room, Christchurch, New Zealand

2001
DAMP and A Constructed World, Hells Kitchen Studio Elizabeth Foundation, New York
Blockbuster 99, video screening with exhibition Brand New Master Copy, UKS, Oslo, Norway

2000
Come to my House by Get the picture with 1st Floor Melbourne and Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne/Naarm.



AWARDS & GRANTS 

2015
Darebin Art Prize, Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Melbourne/Naarm

2012
New Work Established Visual Arts Grant, Australia Council for the Arts, Visual Arts Board

2010
New Arts Grant, City of Melbourne/Naarm

2007
Arts Development Grant, Arts Victoria

2005
New Work Grant, Australia Council for the Arts, Visual Arts and Craft Board 2003 International Touring Fund
Grant, Arts Victoria

2001
Travel Scholarship, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, Ian Potter Foundation

2000
New Work Grant, Australia Council for the Arts, Visual Arts and Craft Board
Melbourne University and The Victorian College of the Arts Mentorship program, Melbourne/Naarm



COLLECTIONS

Monash University Museum of Art, Caulfield Melbourne/Naarm
Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne/Naarm
Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Bundoora, Melbourne/Naarm