About the Artist
Feminist artist and poet Vanessa Allegra delves into some of the hardest topics society faces today. Her work primarily examines womanhood and consent, often coming up for air by painting birds. Her paintings are explorations in luscious colour and thick brush strokes, reclaiming the naked female body and shifting the historic narrative of sexualisation into one of simple and powerful representation.
“I paint women who have been paid fairly to bare their skin, who feel strong enough and empowered enough to bare themselves to me, and I draw the form I find most comfort in - my own.” - Vanessa Allegra
Awards and notable finalist exhibitions:
Overall Winner, 2023, 1770 Art Prize
Finalist, 2023 Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing
Overall Second Prize Winner, 2022, 1770 Art Show
Finalist, 2022, Lethbridge 20,000
Brisbane Portrait Prize Salon des Refuses exhibition 2021
Finalist, 2021, Lethbridge 20,000
Overall Winner, 2019, 1770 Art Show
Christian Thomsen Painting Award 2018, Rio Tinto Martin Hanson Memorial Art Prize
Liquitex Sponsor Prize 2018, Aspire Gallery Foot Square Fine Art Competition, Brisbane
Overall Major Prize Winner 2017, Second Prize Open 2017, Mt Perry Fine Art Award
Highly Commended Open, Highly Commended Human Figure, 2017 Mary Valley Art Prize
Emerging Artist Award, 2016 Mary Valley Art Prize
Curation:
Woodgate Arts In Spring 2022
Woodgate Arts In Spring 2021
Of Birds, 2020, Cross Gallery.
In Bloom, 2019, Tiny Tree Gallery, Brisbane.
Nature of Beauty, 2019, Gayndah and Mt Perry Regional Galleries
Brush to The Beat, 2018, MEC Bundaberg