Julie Dowling (artist)

Dowling was born at the King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women in the Perth suburb of Subiaco.{{cite news|url=http://www.perthnow.com.au/lifestyle/art-and-soul/news-story/06f7aeecffa3b297df83fec086cb9d05|title=Art and soul|work=Perth Now|date=30 June 2007|first=Gail|last=Williams|accessdate=5 November 2017}} Her identical twin sister, Carol, is an academic and radio documentary producer.{{cite web|url=https://www.earbus.org.au/dr-carol-dowling|title=Dr Carol Dowling|publisher=Earbus Foundation|accessdate=16 July 2024}} Their single mother, Veronica, was a member of the Badimaya nation, whose traditional lands are around Paynes Find and Yalgoo in Western Australia's Gascoyne region.{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/truth-in-black-and-white/2007/07/30/1185647822209.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|title=Truth, in black and white|work=The Age|date=31 July 2007|first=Gabriella|last=Coslovich|accessdate=5 November 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/deepend/julie-dowling---warridah-sovereignty/3420464|title=Julie Dowling – Warridah Sovereignty|work=The Deep End|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=30 June 2004|accessdate=27 October 2017}} Along with her mother, she was strongly influenced by her maternal grandmother, Molly, who taught her much about her traditional culture; Molly had been taken from the Yalgoo area by her Irish father at the age of eleven and sent to a Catholic orphanage. The twins spent their early childhood with their mother and extended family, including Molly, in the outer Perth suburb of Redcliffe when it was mostly bushland.{{cite magazine|url=https://artcollector.net.au/julie-dowling-a-different-way-to-the-future/|title=Julie Dowling: A Different Way to the Future|magazine=Australian Art Collector|issue=19|first=Judith|last=McGrath|date=January–March 2002|accessdate=16 July 2024}} Her mother and the twins constantly moved within public housing around the Perth metropolitan area, fearing that welfare agencies might take the children away. While on train trips to visit their grandmother, their mother would point out people who might be trying to hide their Aboriginality, and would encourage Julie to sketch them while Carol would interview them.

Dowling attended St Francis Xavier School in Armadale and St. Joachim's School in Victoria Park. In 1989 she received a Diploma of Fine Art from the Claremont School of Art, where she was influenced by realist teachers such as Marcus Beilby.{{cite web|url=https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvschools/TraditionAndTransformation/artists/Julie-Dowling/|title=Julie Dowling|publisher=National Gallery of Victoria|accessdate=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707061318/http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvschools/TraditionAndTransformation/artists/Julie-Dowling|archive-date=7 July 2017}} She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Curtin University in 1992, becoming the first woman in her family to gain a university degree. In 1995, she had her first solo exhibition at Fremantle Arts Centre and received an Associate Diploma in Visual Arts Management at Central Metropolitan College of TAFE.{{Cite web|url=https://www.portrait.gov.au/people/julie-dowling-1969|title=Julie Dowling|publisher=National Portrait Gallery|access-date=18 February 2019}}

Her work, in a social realist style, deals with issues of Aboriginal identity, and is informed by the experiences of her community, culture, and family.{{cite work|url=http://www.artcollector.net.au/JulieDowlingjoinsMichaelReid|title=Julie Dowling joins Michael Reid|work=Art Collector: Latest Art News|date=January 2012|accessdate=27 October 2017|archive-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417084836/http://www.artcollector.net.au/JulieDowlingjoinsMichaelReid|url-status=dead}}{{Citation | author1=Snell, Ted | title=Julie Dowling | work=Art and Australia|date=2003 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/64685789 | accessdate=5 November 2017 }}{{Citation | author1=Oakes, Carol | title=Julie Dowling: cultural communion | journal=Artlink | date=1995 | volume=15 | issue=2–3 | pages=62–63 | issn=0727-1239 }}{{Citation | author1=Dowling, Julie (Julie Ann) | title=Grandmother's mob and the stories. [Interview with Julie Dowling by Ryan, Lavinia S.] | journal=Artlink | date=March 1998| volume=18 | issue=1 | pages=45–47 | issn=0727-1239 }}

It is inspired by such traditions as European portraiture and Christian icons, Mexican muralism, Papunya Tula dot painting, and Noongar iconography.

Dowling was a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 2001, 2002, and 2013, along with the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2000 and 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.juliedowling.art/cv|title=CV|work=Julie Dowling's website|accessdate=16 July 2024}} She won the 2000 Mandorla Art Award and the painting division of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in that year, and in 2002, she was recognised as Australia's Most Collectible Artist by the magazine Australian Art Collector. In 2006 she received an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from Murdoch University.{{cite web|url=http://handbook.murdoch.edu.au/study?section=honorary|title=Honorary degree recipients|work=Murdoch Handbook|publisher=Murdoch University|accessdate=27 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206035756/https://handbook.murdoch.edu.au/study?section=honorary|archive-date=6 December 2013}}

Dowling has exhibited in Australia and internationally, including solo exhibitions at:

• Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia, WA Now: Julie Dowling - Babanyu (Friends for Life) (2018){{Cite web|url=http://www.artgallery.wa.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/julie-dowling|title=WA Now: Julie Dowling - Babanyu|website=Art Gallery of Western Australia|access-date=18 February 2019}}
• [http://galerie-seippel.de/ Galerie Seippel], Cologne, Germany, Julie Dowling: Malga Gurlbarl (2017){{cite news|title=Julie Dowling: Malga Gurlbarl - Hard Secret|url=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Julie-Dowling--Malga-Gurlbarl---Hard-Sec/6DFF7D3618F72C4B|accessdate=5 April 2018|publisher=MutualArt|date=12 October 2017}}
• [https://artgallery.cgg.wa.gov.au/home.aspx Geraldton Regional Art Gallery], Geraldton, WA, Australia, Yagu Gurlbarl (Big Secret): New Works From Julie Dowling (2017){{cite news|title=Yagu Gurlbarl (Big Secret): New Works From Julie Dowling|url=https://artgallery.cgg.wa.gov.au/news/yagu-gurlbarl-(big-secret)-new-works-from-julie-dowling/3104|accessdate=5 April 2018|publisher=GRAG|date=4 August 2017}}
• [http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/ Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery], Perth, WA, Australia, Julie Dowling: Family and Friends (2012){{Cite web|url=http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/exhibitions/past/julie-dowling-family-and-friends|title=Julie Dowling: Family and Friends|website=Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery|access-date=18 February 2019|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503231719/http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/exhibitions/past/julie-dowling-family-and-friends|url-status=dead}}

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• {{official|http://www.juliedowling.art}}

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Category:Australian Aboriginal artists

Category:Australian women artists

Category:Artists from Western Australia

Category:Artists from Perth, Western Australia

Category:Curtin University alumni

Category:Identical twins

Category:Australian twins

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:Women's Art Register artists