CV
BIOGRAPHY
- 1952
Born Alpha
- 1971
Julian Ashton, Sydney
- 1972-74
Queensland College of Art, Brisbane
- 1979-80
Co-Director, E.M.U., experimental art space, Brisbane
- 1984
Atelier Dalmas, Paris
- 1984-87
Lived and worked in Europe
- 1989-94
Co-Director AGLASSOFWATER, Brisbane
- 1989
New Image Research Award, Australian Film Commission
Premier’s Encouragement Award
REMM Art Award
- 1991
VA/CB Overseas Development Grant
Qld. Ministry of Arts Project Grant
- 1995
Prize-winner, Mary MacKillop: A Tribute, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
- 1996
Fellowship Residency, P.S.1 Studio, Institute of Contemporary Art, New York
- 1999
Arts Queensland Professional Development Grant
- 2001
Master of Fine Arts degree, Queensland University of Technology
- 2002
Australian Representative, Biennale of Sydney
- 2003
UFO, Public Art Commission , West End, Brisbane
- 2006
Residency, Walter Reid Cultural Centre, Rockhampton
- 2006 -
Board member, Artworlkers Management Committee
- 2008
AlphaStationAlphaVille, Professional Development Grant, Arts Queensland
- 2010
Artist in Residence, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton
- 2012
Artist scholar, British School at Rome, Italy
Luke has guided the Pope Alice Xorporation in managing the earthly affairs of Her Divine Holiness Pope Alice, Spiritual Leader of Mu etc, etc, from the early 1970s (see http://www.popealice.com for further details)
Luke has been a regular contributer to Heyoka Magazine(see http://www.heyokamagazine.com for further details) interview by John LeKay (see http://heyokamagazine.com/heyoka.19.lukeroberts.interview.htm)
The artist is represented by Milani Gallery Brisbane, Australia
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011
AlphaStation/Alphaville, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney
Dec 2010-Feb2011
AlphaStation/Alphaville, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
Dec 2010-Jan2011
AlphaStationAlphaville, photobased and video documentation of ongoing projects staged mainly in Central Western Queensland assited by John Elliott
2008
Does this show make my arse look big?, conceptual fashion-based exhibition proposed for a publicly funded artspace
2006
You Are Not Alone, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
Alpha Paintings (Frontiers), Philip Bacon Galleries, Brisbane
2005
Paradise Regained: Headlands and Skylands, Redland Art Gallery
Luke Roberts Is Dead, conceptual event
2004
Arrivedeci Rivoli, Bellas Gallery Brisbane
2003
Missing Person: Alice Jitterbug Photographed, Bellas Gallery
2002
Mu Pavilion Installation, Sydney Biennale, MCA, Sydney.
Aloha Eloha, Stranger Than Fiction , Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney
Venice Paintings/ Alpha Paintings, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
2001
1+1=8, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
2000
Dressed up for Paradise (Beyond the Great Divide), Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
Forbidden Universe, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
1997
Snakes and Aliens, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
Mu Consciousness raising exercises and Pope Alice sightings… Sala Diaz, San Antonio and Texas USA
1996
Clutch, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
Dispersion, Randall Street Studio, Brisbane
1994/1995
WUNDERKAMMER/KUNSTKAMERA, Gallery 14 Project, Queensland Art Gallery
1994
Lot 204: Luke Roberts, a Closet, a Painting, a Duchesse and a pair of oversize hand carved wooden salad servers, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
Lot 62: POSTCARDS FROM ALPHAVILLE (Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft) POST JOHNSTONE DIASPORA/Lorraine, My Heart is Full, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
1993
All Souls of the Revolution (detail) + Objects of My Affection, Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
1992
18 Paintings in Search of a Glossary (Life), Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
The Wonder of You, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
1991
The Veto of Reason, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
1990
Wunderkammer, State Library of Queensland
Objects of My Affection, Site, Brisbane
1989
Without Closure, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
Artist’s Videos, National Arts Week, Brisbane
1988
Logic Assassinates, Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
1987
1+1=3, ongoing photographic work
1986
Plan 9, The Compartners, Amsterdam
Touring Exhibition, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
1985
Name Dropping, St. Olofspoort, Amsterdam
1984 – 86
Touring Exhibition, Queensland Arts Council
1984 – 85
Der Kunstler Als Narcis/Das Leben Ist Kunst Ist Kitsch Screening and Discussion of the Artist’s own films, Hannover Fachhochschule + Braunsweig Film Academie, Fed Rep. Germany and performance series , “Alles Alice Ueber…”
1984
Alpha Centenary, commemorative envelopes, Australia Post
1982
Luke Roberts, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane
1980
Pope Alice Presents Luke Roberts, Spring Hill Gallery, Brisbane
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012
Wher you live now, British School at Rome, Italy, June
Sexualising the City, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Gold Coast, October
Re-Story, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops BC, Canada June – August
2011
Femmes&Hommes, curated by Jessica Bridgfoot, John Buckley Gallery, Melbourne 20 May – 11 June 2011
Three Views: Gallery Photographers, John Buckley Gallery, Melbourne, 10 August – 3 September 2011
2010
Pingyao International Photography Festival 2010, Imagining the Everyday. Pingyao, China
James Sourris Collection, Briabane Club, Brisbane
Multiplicities: Self portraits from the Collection, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
NEW 2010, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
2009
National Self-Portrait Prize, University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane
Wunderkammer detail, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
I Am the Message, Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore
Quirky: from the collection, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, Newcastle
I have not been myself lately… Queensland College of Art Gallery, Brisbane
Soft Sculpture, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Artscape: The Art Life: Who Made Who?, ABC TV
2008
Oooga-booga, Pope Alice Xorporation with Proppa Now, George Petelin Gallery
2007
Morimura, Mishima. Roberts Art Gallery New South Wales
The Visitors, Penrith Regional Gallery
Multiple Personality, MOP, Sydney
2006
Queensland Live, Queensland Art Gallery touring exhibition
Colonial to Contemporary, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane
2005
Baroque and Neo-Baroque. The Hell of the Beautiful, Domus Artium (DA2) Salamanca, Spain
Beyond Real, Australian Centre for Photography
Points of View: Australian Photography 1985-95, Art Gallery of New South Wales
2004
Don’t call it Performance, El Museo del Barrio, New York
Sailor Style, National Maritime Museum, Sydney
the world may be post-dated: Luke Roberts and Jennifer Maklem, Galerie de l’UQAM, Montreal, MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, Canada
2003
Parthenogenesis, Ivan Doughety Gallery, Sydney
No lo Llames Performance, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, and touring Spain
One Square Mile, Museum of Brisbane
the world may be post-dated: Luke Roberts and Jennifer Maklem, University of Waterloo Art Gallery and touring Canada.
2002
13th Biennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Stranger than Fiction, ACP, Sydney
1997
PS1 National and International Studio Artists exhibition, PS1, Institute of Contemporary Art, Clocktower, New York
1996
The Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery
Gramercy Park International Hotel Art Fair, New York
ARCO’96 International Contemporary Art Fair, Madrid
Asia-Pacific Hotel Art Fair, Brisbane
Recollection, Brisbane City Art Gallery and Museum
1995
Australian Perspecta 1995, Art Gallery of New South Wales
Mary MacKillop: A tribute, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, New Parliament House, Canberra
1994
Remain in Light, AGLASSOFWATER project, Blaxland Gallery, Sydney
1993
Happiness is a Loaded Brush. Outside the Walls of Jericho (with Beattie Millis), Bellas Gallery, Brisbane
Dislocations: Body, Memory, Place (curator Marcus O’Donnell) Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria
1990
Eating People is Wrong, (with Scott Redford), AGLASSOF WATER, Brisbane
1989
All Souls Day (with Urszula Szulakowska), Artspace, Sydney
Slow Information (with Scott Redford), Arch Lane Public Art, Brisbane
Running Man, (with Scott Redford), AGLASSOFWATER, Brisbane
1988
The World Is Full of Objects (with Scott Redford), slide documentation
Redford/Boyd/Roberts (with Scott Redford and Adam Boyd), Arson Street, St. Kilda, Melbourne.
LECTURES, SEMINARS ETC
2011
Artist talk, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, June 18
2010
Acceptance speech, Artist in Residence, Ron Smyth Bidg, Central Queensland University, 18 August 20102008
Talking Photography: 2008 Queensland Festival of Photography with Mike Parr, Fiona Foley and Tony Albert University of Queensland Art Museum 6th April
“Who is Andy Warhol”, Queensland Artist Talk, Warhol Exhibition, Gallery of Modern Art 15 March
2007
“The right to be different”, Culture, Sex and the Political Dimension, session, ARC Biennial program, Queensland University of Technology, October
PERFORMANCES
1991 Popepeople, Australian Perspecta 1991, Art Gallery of New South Wales, performance as part of artists exhibition, Australian Perspecta 1991
Pope Alice Tour, Australian Perspecta 1995, Art Gallery of New South Wales, performance as part of artists exhibition, Australian Perspecta 1995Surrealism: Revolution by Night, Queensland Art Gallery. Performance at press launch for travelling exhibition of European Surrealism Masterworks.
Pope Alice, 1993, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Hypnotism, Brisbane City Hall. Performance as part of exhibition.
Peoples Delegation from the Lost Continent of Mu, Museun of Contemporary Art, 2002 Biennale of Sydney. Performance as part of artists installation for Biennale of Sydney 2002.
Aloha Eloha, 2002, Stranger than Fiction, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney. Performance as part of group exhibition.
clutch, Pope Alice, 1996 Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane. Exhibition of Pope Alice and Archangel photographic performance works.
You Are Not Alone, 2006. Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane. Pope Alice theatre based performance of one hour duration with sound, visuals and various assisting perfomers.
Fridapeople, 2001, National Gallery of Australia. Performance for opening night of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism.
Popepeople, 1993, Gilbert and George event, Brisbane. Performance celebrating Gilbert & Georges visit to Brisbane. Private function Spring Hill Baths.
Popepeople, 1995, Pierre et Giles event, Roslyn Oxley Gallery, Sydney. Appearance and photography at opening night Pierre et Giles exhibtion.
Popepeople, 1997, DIA Centre for the Arts, New York. Appearance with Quentin Crisp and photography at opening night of Tracey Moffatts exhibition.
Mu Embassy and Wunderkamera, PS1, Center for Contemporary Art, New York, performance and group exhibition.
Pope Alice performance have taken place from the late 1970s, including Pope Alice presents Luke Roberts at the Spring Hill Gallery in 1980. Pope Alice made a press appearance for the launch of Luke Roberts exhibition, as well as appearing in various locations around the city and on opening night as a special guest who opened the show.
Regular appearances at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
PUBLICATIONS
selected
AlphaStation/Alphaville, monograph published by the Institute of Modern Art, 2012 essay by Daniel Mudie Cunningham
Vanitas: Pope Alice Presents Luke Roberts, monograph pub. Institute of Modern Art 1999
Timothy Morrell, The People’s Pope, Art and Australia Vol. 35 No.2 1997 pp226-233
Louise Martin-Chew, Luke Roberts, Art Collector issue 55 Jan-March 2011 p 144-145
Front cover image, The Story of Mary MacKillop, Doyle, El-Hage, Walsh, pub. John Garratt Publishing.2009
Geddes, Kezia, I Am the Message, exhibition catalogue, Lismore Art Gallery 2009
Joan Kerr, A Singular Voice: Essays on Australian Art and Architecture, From Alpha to Boulia…p 84/87
Joseph Brennan, Fairytales, the visual art of gay men, DNA #118, October 2009
Daniel Mudie Cunningham, Queer Today, Gone Tomorrow, Art and Australia, Winter 20091975-2008
NEW, exhibition catalogue, University of Queensland Art Museum, 2008
Queensland Live, exhibition catalogue, Queensland Art Gallery 2005
Points of View, Photographay 1985-95, exhibition catalogue Art Gallery New South Wales 2005
Biennale of Sydney 2002, exhibition catalogue
Australian Perspecta 1991, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery New South Wales
Australian Perspecta 1995, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery New South Wales
Urszula Szulakowska, feature article eyeline #10, Dec 1989
Michele Helmrich, feature article, eyeline 1995
Louise Martin-Chew, exhibition catalogue for Paradise Regained: Headlands and Skylands 2005
Photofile, Australian Centre for Photography 2004 (first issue of the new look Photofile)
Alpha Paintings (Frontiers), artist statement, exhibition catalogue, Philip Bacon Galleries, 2006
The Visitors, exhibition catalogue, Penrith Regional Gallery, 2007
STUDIO: Australian Painters on the Nature of Creativity, R. Ian Lloyd and John MacDonald, 2007
Sexualising the City, catalogue, Gold Coast City Art Gallery 2012
FineArts 2011-2012, catalogue, The British School at Rome
John LeKay, interview heyokamagazine 2008
http://www.heyokamagazine.com/heyoka.19.lukeroberts.interview.htm
Pope Alice, religion, heyokamagazine 2008 -Pope Alice Xorporation is a regular contributer to heyokamagazine.com http://www.heyokamagazine.com/heyoka_magazine.28.popealice.htm
PRESS
selected
John McDonald, Losing My Religion, Sydney Morning Herald 1 October 2011 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/losing-my-religion-20110929-1kxua.html#ixzz1ZTUzTZbi
Andrew Taylor, Artist’s brush with infamy, Sun-Herald, 12 June 2011 NEWS p 35 http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?jsessionid=13953122886D2D98799BB81ECCBA48DC&sy=afr&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=1month&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=brs&cls=20109&clsPage=1&docID=SHD110612F666P695SOB
Jörg Schmilewski, Der australische Gegenpapst, July 2008
http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2008/0719/seite1/0068/index.html
TimeOut Sydney, AlphaStation/Alphaville, June 2011 p 41 http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/art/events/25124/alphastationalphaville-photographer-luke-roberts
Andrew Taylor, Drag queen Christ sure to stir the passions, Sun-Herald 7th August 2011 NEWS p 8 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/drag-queen-christ-sure-to-stir-the-passions-20110806-1igjz.html
Charles Waterstreet, A beautiful truth, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 August 2011 http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/a-beautiful-truth-20110813-1irh9.html
TheMorning Bulletin, 24 August 2010
The Australian, 11 Dec 2009
Mirror Mirror, Courier-Mail, Dec 2009
Wanted in Rome, front cover, published June 13 2012, Rome, Italy
Television
David Kosh on Sunrise, Uproar over religious artwork, 8.20am Monday 8th August 2011 http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26215274/uproar-over-religious-artwork/
Sixty Minutes, with Peter Harvey, Channel 9, 20 July 2008
Radio
Tim Webster, Christians angry over drag Christ art, 2UE Sydney, 9.30am Monday 8th August 2011 http://www.2ue.com.au/blogs/2ue-blog/christians-angry-over-drag-christ-art/20110808-1ii76.html
COLLECTIONS
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Griffith University
Harriet Jane Neville-Rolfe Gallery, Alpha
James Hardie Collection, State Library of Queensland
Kamloops Art Gallery, BC, Canada
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain
Museum of Brisbane
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
Rockhampton Art Gallery
University Art Museum, University of Queensland, Brisbane
University of Southern Queensland
Newcastle Region Art Gallery
McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
VIDEO / FILM / PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTS
2012
The Visitation, dir Luke Roberts, Pope Alice’s visit to Vatican City
Sailing to Byzantium, a series of performance videos centered around the concept of spinning in sacred spaces (perne in a gyre).
2011
The Bedroom Commandments, dir. Malcol Burt http://vimeo.com/23322686
The Resurrection of Luke, dir. Hans Telford
David Kosh on Sunrise, Uproar over religious artwork, 8.20am Monday 8th August 2011 http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26215274/uproar-over-religious-artwork/
2009
Artscape: The Art Life: Who Made Who?, ABC TV 24 March
AlphaStationAlphaVille project documentation Dec 2008-Jan 2009, June 2009, Sept-Oct 2009.
2008
Sixty Minutes, with Peter Harvey, Channel 9, 20 July 2008
Pope Alice announces KISS-IN YouTube I min 46 secs
Jezebel Decibel and POPE ALICE Mardi GrasYouTube 6 mins 10 secz
2007
Debaptism Ceremony: Act of Apostasy YouTube 7 mins 6 secs
All-Seeing EyE YouTube13 secs
Sacred Whores Prayer YouTube 1 min 55 seca
Pacifica (Lemuria) YouTube3 mins 15 secs
You are not alone YouTube 7min 10 secs
2006
You are not alone, video with Jandy Rainbow, music jandy Rainbow concept and art direction Luke Roberts
You are not alone, unedited performance doc camera Ben Wickes and Jeremy Hines,
Alice Jitterbug/Rainbow Horse music Carmela Tal Baron
2004?
UFO film Christopher Dolan. Film of Luke Roberts public artwork UFO and Pope Alice visitation
2002
Pacifica: Greetings from Amnesia/Wait for me Juanita/Wangatatta Wahine concept and art direction Luke Roberts camera, and editing Daniel Sala.
2000
Ecce homo: These are our bodies, this is our blood, video document of Pope Alice opening performance for Luke Roberts, Ecce homo: These are our bodies, this is our blood Thurs 24th Feb 2000, original document held by Artspace Sydney
ABC national TV News 7pm, Friday 3rd March 2000, Pope Alice intervention, St Marys Cathedral, Sydney
1999
Pope Alice appearance Up in the Sky ABC TV July 25 1999 8pm Tracey Moffatt in New York, dir. Jane Cole
1998
Infinito, digital film (unedited) Franco Mondini Ruizs Botanica, San Antonio November 1998
Dear Mr Crisp, digital film, October 1998
Pope Alice Flame Tree (working title/ unedited) with Paul Andrew December 1998
Pope Alice Homeless, with Paul Andrew December 1998
1997
Wunderkamera, Pope Alice in Texas, 6-7 Feb 1997 plus interview Peter Gonzales-Falcon 16 Feb 1997 (NTSC) Hi8
Ricki Lake Show, Luke Roberts ask The Shoe Question,
New York 1997 VHS (PAL)
Millenium Shift, producer Ian Lang, Griffith University, VHS (NTSC) 54 minutes, aired SBS 1997
1996
Pope Alice in Spain (ARCO) 1996 video 8?
Hypnotism, Pope Alice performance, Brisbane City Hall,
1996 23minutes VHS (NTSC) Griffith Artworks
Pope Alice performance, Volt 96, Sh…Shbango, the Roxy, Brisbane 4 Sept 1996 by Ben Wickes
1995
Pope Alice Tour, Australian Perspecta 1995, Art Gallery of New South Wales 4 Feb 1995 video 8
Pope Alice Tour 4 Feb & 3 Mar 1995 plus with Pierre et Gilles 8 Feb 1995 video 8
White Ball footage Pope Alice appearance Brisbane 1995, by Ben Wickes
1994
Mardi Gras 1994? ABC True Stories Sydney commercial VHS copy
1993
Beyond the Great Divide/Mama Papa is Wounded,
Pope Alice Queensland Art Gallery performance, Fringe Surrealism 5 June 1993
The Affectionate Punch, Pope Alice performance MCA, video Hi8, camera Tracey Moffatt, MCA, Sydney 1 August 1993.
Mardi Gras 1993? Sydney
1992
Bedevil, directed by Tracey Moffatt, Luke Roberts actor, 1992, feature film 35mm
1991
FRIDAPEOPLE Perspecta 1991,Art Gallery of NSW, copyright Dr. Jan Bruck? and the artist
1988
The Despair of the Parrot, edited performance document, Bellas Gallery 1988
camera Adam Boyd, VHS
My Dress Hangs There, performance document, the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, camera Adam Boyd VHS
1984-87
Various footage taken in Amsterdam circa 1987 poor quality Super 8 film
1983
Nazissus directed by John Lee & Luke Roberts 1983 Super 8 film
Alice Springs Into Wonderland 1983-84 directed by Luke Roberts Super 8 film
Living Arthur Street On, 1983 directed by Luke Roberts Super 8 film
Pope Alice Plastik, 1983 directed by Luke Roberts Super 8 film
1980
Pope Alice Presents Luke Roberts Spring Hill Gallery Brisbane 1980
VHS 20? minutes
Pope Alice on the Haydn Report 1980 Channel O (any remaning record with Channel 0 / 10)
Pope Alice on Channels 7&9? News Reports Sept,1980
1977/8?
Portrait of Luke Roberts / Alice Jitterbug, directed by Sue Rattle, cinematography Jan Murray, whereabouts unknown
(1978? Starred in Sue Rattles film title unknown, portraits of 5 individuals of Sues choosing. Jan Murray dop, David Sandison still photographer. Whereabouts of film unknown. Some stills available.)
1974-78?
Various planned film projects planned and scripted with Des Lourigan et al, including Michael McCaffey only one actually partly realised
!1970s Film scripting (including The Chartruese Emu) and proposals with different people, particularly Des Lourigan. One small script taken to film (super 8?) Whereabouts of film unknown.)
1972
Art College film second or first year 1972, whereabouts unknown
(Small films made with second year art student peers as a QCA project. Worked in front and behind camera. Whereabouts of films unknown. Some stills available.
MASTER DIGITAL TAPES
A. Pope Alice QUT Post-graduate show Palma Rosa September (?) 1998 Village Twin and Story Bridge etc with Doug Hall and Michele Helmrich camera Douglas Watkins
1. New York October 1998
2. New York (beginning of Quentin footage at the end of this tape) October 1998
3. New York London Leicester (Quentin reading his mail at the beginning of this tape/leaving NY/arriving London/travelling around London in a taxi/journey to St Pancras Station and on to Leicester) October 1998
4. Leicester (missing tape) Andy Warhol performance/Frida Kahlo performance/Pope Alice performance The Abstract is always with us plus ambient Leicester takes. October-November 1998
5. Maastricht-Texas November 1998 Pope Alice performance in city centre of Maastricht, Donna Confettis exhibition at the Jan van Eyck Akademie. Coach trip to Aachen and onto Dusseldorf. Infinito (Francs shop) in San Antonio.
6. Texas-Mexico-Return Journey with Peter Gonzales-Falcon to La Pryor and onto Mexico (Eagle Pass and Piedre Negre (?)) to Australia November 1998.
(incomplete)