MEL O'CALLAGHAN
Born in 1975 in Sydney, Australia
Lives and works in Paris, France
The body – in its broadest sense – permeates Mel O’Callaghan’s video, installation, augmented reality, painting, sound and performance work. Communion and resonance with nature, and with each other, is at the heart of her practice. Born out of extensive research, long-term collaboration and exchange with oceanographers, microbial ecologists, performers, musicologists and psychologists, environmentalists and rights activists, she investigates notions of resistance, endurance and transformation in the body and the environment. In her video and performance works she traces places and practices centred around sites on earth that are said to remain similar to when life first emerged. Responding to the start of multicellular life on earth and the desire of a single cell to double, she relates the impulse of the primordial cell to our inclination to connect.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours, Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, Australia
Master of Fine Arts in Research, College of Fine Arts COFA, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Bachelor of Science Architecture, University of Sydney, Australia
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION
2026
Live Echo, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Slime of Time, WAMA, Victoria, Australia
2025
My Heart Beneath The Earth, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
2024
LIVE ECHO, Cassandra Bird Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2023
All Is Life, Esker Foundation, Calgary, Canada
Centre of the Centre.Wagga Wagga Art Gallery/ National Glass Museum, Australia
2022
All Is Life, Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia
Slime of Time, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
Ore of Cyprus, Kronenberg Mais Wright, Sydney, Australia
Centre of the Centre, Samstag Museum, Adelaide, Australia
Centre of the Centre, Hyphen Wadonga, Wadonga, Australia
Centre of the Centre, Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo, Australia
Centre of the Centre, Gouburn Regional Art Gallery, Goulburn, Australia
Centre of the Centre, Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie, Australia
2021
Centre of the Centre. Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie, Australia
Primary/Secondary Score. Nuit Blanche, Centre sportif Léo Lagrange, Paris, France
Glasshouse Arts Centre, Port Macquarie, Australia
Goulburn Regional Gallery, Goulburn, Australia
2020
Centre of the Centre. Carpintarias de São Lázaro Centre of Contemporary Art, Lisbon, Portugal
Centre of the Centre. UQ Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia
Centre of the Centre. Tour Museums and Galleries NSW (MGNSW), Australia
2019
Centre of the Centre. Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
Centre of the Centre. Artspace, Sydney, Australia
2018
Primary/ Secondary Score. Barangaroo et Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia
2017
Mel O'Callaghan: Ensemble. cur. Jane Devery. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Dangerous on-the-way. cur. Daria de Beauvais, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
En Masse. Galerie Allen, Paris, France
L'acte Gratuit. Kronenberg, Mais Wright, Sydney, Australia
2015
Dangerous looking-back. Galeria Belo-Galsterer, Lisbon, Portugal
Ensemble. Loop, Barcelona, Spain
2014
L'acte gratuit. Galerie Allen, Paris, France
Time to Act. Museum Medeiros e Almeida, Lisbon, Portugal
Ensemble. Osmos presents at First Street Green, New York, USA
2013
Ensemble. Belo-Galsterer Galerie, Lisbon, Portugal
2012
Endgame. Belo-Galsterer Galerie, Lisbon, Portugal
Move. Casa Museu Medeiros e Almeida, Lisbon, Portugal
2011
Each Mineral Flake Of That Night Filled Mountain. GRANTPIRRIE Offsite, Melbourne, Australia
2010
Each Atom Of That Stone In Itself Forms A World. GRANTPIRRIE, Sydney, Australia
2008
Topsy Turvy. GRANTPIRRIE, Sydney, Australia
2007
Landslide. Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
2006
The Fall. Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
2005
Somewhere. Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris France
Somewhere. Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia
2004
The Fall. Salles E.M. Sandoz M. David-Weill, Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
The Fall. Annandale Galleries, Sydney, Australia
2003
In The Half Light. 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia
2002
The Fly and the Mountain. AGNSW The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
On This Day It Was Cold. Room 35 Gallery, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
We Had Walked All Day. Department of Public Works, Sydney, Australia
2001
Vagari. Centre for Contemporary Art, Prague, Czech Republic
Today We Looked At Walls. Sherman Galleries Hargrave, Sydney, Australia
Mel + Nell. Room Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherland
2000
Nell + Mel. Stadt Munchen Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherland
Mel + Nell. Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1999
Nell + Mel. Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1998
Mel + Nell. Room 35, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Lot. CBD, Sydney, Australia
1997
Illume. 1st FLOOR, Melbourne, Australia
1996
Automate. Firstdraft, Sydney, Australia
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
Earth, Water, Sky, WAMA, Victoria, Australia
Normandie Impressioniste, Normandy, France
2025
Pulse of Life, Daegu Photo Biennale, South Korea
Direct Bodily Empathy - Sensing Sound, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Aotearoa New Zealand
Asia Pacific Moving Image Program, Busan Museum of Art, South Korea
2024
Undo The Day, NAS National Art School Galleries, Sydney, Australia
The Charge That Binds, Australian Centre of Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne, Australia
PEACE MORE REAL, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
2023
Noor Riyadh Festival, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Zone de contact, Poush Manifesto, Paris, France
Un lac inconnu, Bally Foundation, Lugano, Suisse
2022
INTERSTICES: TURNS #3, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
Seeing the Invisible, Outset Contemporary Art Fund, Jerusalem, Israel
Seeing the Invisible . Museum of Contemporary Art - MOCA Toronto, Canada
2021
(Un)learning, Seoul Museum of Art (SEMA), Seoul, South Korea
Lost Weekend, Galerie Allen, Paris, France
2020
Abstraction, Kronenberg Mais Wright, Sydney, Australia
2019
What Lies Within: Centre of the Centre. Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), Manila, Philippines
Some of Us. Kunstwerk Carlshutte, Budelsdorf, Germany
Primary/ Secondary Score. Greater Taipei Biennale, Yo-Chang Art Museum, National Taiwan University of Arts, Taïwan
2018
200 Videos. Museo D'Art Contemporanea Di Roma (MACRO), Rome, Italy
Vertiges. Lab-Labanque, Béthune, France
Out In The Cold. Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, UK
International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherland
Kronenberg Wright, Sydney, Australia
ARCO Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
2017
Prix Meurice pour l'art contemporain. cur. Claire Moulène & Angela Blanc, Hôtel Meurice, Paris, France
ART-O-RAMA. Galerie Allen, Marseille, France
L'Éternité par les astres. cur. Léa Bismuth. Les Tanneries, Centre d'art contemporain, Amilly, France
Lock/ Route. cur. Khai Hori, Gillman Barracks, Singapore, Singapore
Galerie Allen, Arco, Madrid, Spain (dual presentation with Boris Achour)
Kronenberg Wright, Sydney Contemporary, Australia
2016
L'art de la révolte (The Art of Revolt) Hors-Pistes. cur. Géraldine Gomez and Charlène Dinhut, Musée National D'Art Moderne. Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
L'art de la révolte (The Art of Revolt) Hors-Pistes. cur. Géraldine Gomez and Charlene Dinhut Centre Pompidou, Malaga, Spain
Museum as Performance. cur. Cristina Grande, Serralves Museum, Porto, Portugal
Nuit Blanche. Place Dauphine, Paris, France
Do Disturb. cur. Vittoria Matarrese, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
J'ai Rêvé Le Goût De La Brique Pilée. cur. Natsuko Uchino et Sophie Auger-Grappin. La Borne, Centre céramique contemporaine, Henrichemont, France
2015
Demain dans la bataille pense à moi. cur. Magalie Meunier. Institut d'art contemporain, Villeurbanne, France
Les Drapeaux. cur. Pablo Cavero. XPO gallery, Paris, France
Les Drapeaux. cur. Pablo Cavero. Maison des Arts, Malakoff, France
The Place of Disquiet, Third edition of A3bandas. cur. Miguel Amado. F2 Galeria, Madrid, Spain
Nature/ Revelation. cur. Joanna Bosse. The Ian Potter Museum, NGV National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
2014
19th Biennale of Sydney; You Imagine What You Desire. cur. Juliana Engberg. Cockatoo Island, Sydney, Australia
White Night: Arcadian Revelry. cur. Anais Lellouche, Melbourne, Australia
2013
The Disorder of the Present Is the Order of the Future. cur. Alda Galsterer, Belo-Galsterer Galerie, Lisbon, Portugal
2012
Livret IV. cur. Irmavep Club. Musée d'Art Contemporain de Rochechouart, FR
Desire Lines. cur. Juliana Engberg. ACCA Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia
2011
The Rehearsal of Repetition. cur. Anja Isabel Schneider. GRANTPIRRIE, Sydney, Australia
Motion/Pictures. cur. Joseph Allen Shea. Gallery A.S., Paramount Pictures, Sydney, Australia
EVENT: New Moving Image Works. cur. Blair French. Artspace, Sydney, Australia
2010
Dying in Spite of the Miraculous. cur. Alexie Glass. Gurtrude Contemporary Art Space and Melbourne International Arts Festival Melbourne, Australia
La Main Numerique. cur. Dominique Païni. National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taïwan
La Main Numerique. cur. Dominique Païni. MABA Maison d'art Bernard Anthonioz, Paris, France
2009
Event: New Moving Image Works. cur. Blair French, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
2008
Fantasmata. cur. Luigi Fassi. AR/GE KUNST Galerie Museum, Bolzano, Italy
Le Main Numerique. cur. Dominique Païni. Ecole d'art de la Communauté d'Annecy, Annecy, France
2007
Hamsterwheel. cur. Franz West, Printemps De Septembre, Les Jacobins, Toulouse France
Hamsterwheel. cur. Franz West. CASM, Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona, Spain
Vergäleibhaftig. Kunstverein Konstanz, Germany
Vergäleibhaftig. Städtische Galerie Ravensburg, Germany
Vergänglichkeit. Galerie Schleicher Lange, Paris, France
Phases Of The Moon. IrmaVepLab, Châtillon-sur-Marne, France
Sommerfrische Sehnsucht Nach Dem Paradies. Kunst:raum Sylt Quelle, Germany
2006
Videoformes. Prix de la Création Vidéo, Clermont Ferrand, France
2005
National Sculpture Prize, NGA National Gallery of Australia, Australia
Videobrasil 05 15º. Internacional Electronic Arts Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil
Impakt 16th Impakt Festival, Utrecht, The Netherland
Edinburgh International Film Festival, 59th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh, UK
2004
Site (Unseen). cur. Laura Murray-Cree. Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia
A Cut Across. cur. Megan Keating. Plymsoll Gallery, University of Tasmania, Australia
That Was Now, This is Then. cur. Alexi Glass Kantor, Gitte Weise Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2003
Printroom. Witte de Witt, Centre for Contemporary Art, cur. Karin de Jong, Rotterdam, The Netherland
Printroom. Gurtrude Centre for Contemporary Art, cur. Karin de Jong, Melbourne, Australia
2002
Shoproom. Gun Gallery, Norway
2001
Shoproom. Room Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherland
Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Award. Artspace, Sydney, Australia
GRANTS, AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
2024
Prix Carta Bianca
2021
Create NSW Project Grant
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant
2020
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant
The Fauvette Loureiro Memorial Scholarship (finalist)
2019
Aide de Projet, Fondation National des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (FNAGP)
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant
2018
Australia Council For The Arts, Project Grant, Centre of the Centre
2017
Finalist, Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art / Prix Meurice pour l'art contemporain, FR
Fondation National des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques (FNAGP), Artist Studio, Nogent-sur-Marne, France
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2016
Cité Internationale des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2015
Recipient of the SAM Prize for Contemporary Art, France
2014
Nominated for the Bernd Lohaus Prize, Belgium
The Australia Council for the Arts, Research and Development for new video piece in Borneo, Malaysia
2013
The Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient for 19th Biennale of Sydney, Established Artist Category
2011
Cité Internationale Des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2007
Cité Internationale Des Arts, Artist Residency, Paris, France
2006
The Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient, Established Artist Category
2005
Cité Internationale Des Arts Paris, Artist Residency, Paris, France
National Sculpture Prize, Finalist, NGA National Gallery Of Australia, Australia
2004
Cité Internationale Des Arts Paris, Artist Residency AGNSW, Paris, France
2001
Centre For Contemporary Art, Artist Residency, Prague, Czech Republic
Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Award, Finalist, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
The University of Sydney, Dean's Honours List, Sydney, Australia
The Australia Council For The Arts, New Work Recipient, Emerging Artist Category
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS
2018
Sydney Contemporary Commission, Carriageworks and Barangaroo, Sydney, Australia
2015
Australian Embassy, Paris, France
2007
Attorney Generals Dept. Landslide, The Justice Precinct, Sydney, Australia
Attorney Generals Dept. All In One Day?, Foyer, Trial Courts, The Justice Precinct, Sydney, Australia
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
FRAC Bretagne, Rennes, France
UQ Art Museum, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia
Monash University Museum of Modern Art (MUMA), Australia
Artbank, Australian Government Art Collection, Australia
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
Attorney Generals Department, Australian Government, Australia
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2023
Lissa Robinson, “Mel O’Callaghan: The pulse of the planet”, Galleries West, June 19 2023
Jennie Simm, “Pulse of the Planet: The art of tapping into the Earth’s Heartbeat”, Big Kitty, June 2023
Eric Volmers, “Australian artist explores rituals and rhythms of the natural world with first Canadian exhibit”, Calgary Herald, May 30 , 2023
Marianne Derrien, Jérôme Cotinet-Alphaize, Adrien Elie, Huz & Bosshard “Some of Us: une anthologie des artistes contemporainexs du XXIème siècle en France”, Edition Manuella
2022
Mara Hoberman, “Mel O’Callaghan: All is Life”, exhibition essay, Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia June 2022
Erin McFadyen, “Mel O’Callaghan”, Artist Profile, 23 June 2022
Joao Silverio, Gesture and Resonance, exhibition essay, Slime of Time, Galerie Allen, Paris, France, Octobre 2022Melissa Bianca Amore, “Un/learning Australia”, The Saturday Paper, February 5-11, 2022 | No. 385Stephanie Bunbury, “Seeing The Invisible”, The Age, January 6
Interview, Art Works, Series 2, Episode 4, ABC television, April 6
2021
Elyse Goldfinch in Know My Name, publication National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Alana Kushnir, “Seeing the Invisible”, Broadsheet, 7 October, 2021
Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, “Seeing the Invisible”, Del Mar Times, 18 November, 2021
Jessica Abelsohn, “Digitally making the invisible visible”, The Jewish News, 27 October, 2021
2020
Mel O’Callaghan: Centre of the Centre, Artspace; Le Confort Moderne; UQ Art Museum with Perimeter Books
Julie Ewington, “Mel O’Callaghan: Centre of the Centre”, Australian Book Review, May 2020, no.421 p.200
Ashleigh Wilson & Dr. Edward Scheer, “Breath of experience: Mel O’Callaghan”, The Australian, March 5, p. 20-21
Anabelle Lacroix, “Mel O’Callaghan Centre of the Centre, Art Monthly Australiasia, Issue 324, Winter, p.72-75
Stephanie Bailey, editor in chief, “Mel O’Callaghan”, Ocula Magazine, May 29 2020
Dr. Edward Scheer, “Mel O’Callaghan’s Rituals for the Anthropocene”, Art Guide Australia, April 1 2019
2019
Christopher Allen, “Stillness of the Deep Soul”, The Australian, September 28 2019 p.27-28
Emma-Kate Wilson, “Mel O’Callaghan Centre of the Centre”, Art Almanac, September issue p.39-41
JT Nisay, “Understanding the Centre of the Centre”, Business Mirror, Septemeber 17
2018
Chenel, Marie & O'Callaghan, Mel. Artpress 2: Vertiges, p. 20-21, September
2017
O'Callaghan, Mel. Artist Monograph, Palais de Tokyo, Sam Art Projects : Paris
"Le Prix Meurice pour l'art contemporain dévoile ses nommés." Le Quotidien de L'art, no. 1323, p. 2, July 4
Hobermann, Mara. "Mel O'Callaghan." Artforum, May
Laporte, Arnaud. "Art plastique: Spéciale 'En toute chose' au Palais de Tokyo." La Dispute - France Culture, February
Hay, Thierry. "Notre rapport à la nature et aux objets: exposition, En toute chose, au Palais de Tokyo."FranceInfo, February 8
Vicente, Anne-Lou. "Mel O'Callaghan, transe collective au Palais de Tokyo." Troiscouleurs, February 7
Wilks, Felix. "From cave to gallery - "Mel O'Callaghans entrancing new exhibition." Happening, February 6
Gaspar, Maria Luisa. "El Palacio de Tokyo busca el arte entre el hombre y los objetos."Agencia EFE, February 3
Biétry-Rivierre, Éric & Duponchelle, Valérie. "Pais, l'art en capitale." Le Figaro, p. 26-27, January 6
De la Fresnaye, Marie. "Dangerous-on-the-way, Mel O'Callaghan au Palais de Tokyo." Artaissime, no. 15, January
2016
Dagen, Philippe. "Quand l'art bat le pavé." Le Monde, April 28
Hidalgo-Laurier, Orianne. "Les rites de Mel O'Callaghan." Mouvement, January 25
Jardonnet, Emmanuelle."Cinq bonnes raisons de s'immerger dans Do Disturb." Le Monde, April 9
2015
Silverio, Joao. "Memory and Resistance." Dangerous Looking Back, Galeria Belo-Galsterer, November
Cotte, Béatrice. "Soirée de remise du Prix SAM 2015 à Mel O'Callaghan." Follow Art With Us, December 17
2014
Engberg, Juliana. "You are what you imagine." You Imagine What You Desire, 19th Biennale of Sydney
Ross, Annabel. "White Night: A melancholic artistic dream that lingers long." The Age, February 3
Elpnick, Nicole. The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 March 2014
"Mel O'Callaghan: Time to Act."Hope and Faith, p. 184-185, Encontros da Imagem, Porto
2013
"Mel O'Callaghan:Ensemble." Love will Tear us Apart, p. 142-143, Encontros da Imagem: Porto
Galsterer, Alda. Natura. Paisagem e Natureza, Museum Nogueira da Silva, Braga, PT
2012
Cox, Jack & Delage, Alexandra. "Les Languages Terrestres." LIVRET IV, Musée Rochechouart
Stephens, Andrew. "The Path less travelled."The Age Newspaper, p. 23, December 15
Stephens, Andrew. "Desire Lines." The Age, December 15
Edmond, Maura. "Desire Lines" Time Out, December
Nunes, Leonor. "Destaque." Journal Deletras, no. 1100, p. 28, November-December
Crespo, Nuno. "O ar do tempo." P2/Publico Lisboa, p. 8, December 23
"Miguel Branco & Mel O'Callaghan." Agenda Cultural Lisboa, November
Schneider, Anja. "The Rehearsal of Repetition." Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney, AU
Engberg, Juliana. "Desire Lines." ACCA Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
2010
Païni, Dominique. La Main Numerique, MABA Maison d'art Bernard Anthonioz, Paris
Païni, Dominique. La Main Numerique, Musee National de Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan
Glass Kantor, Alexie. Ever Tried, Ever Failed, Grantpirrie Gallery
Isabel Schneider, Anja. Mel O'Callaghan Ever Tried, Ever Failed, Grantpirrie
2009
French, Blair. Event: New Moving Image Works, Artspace Sydney
French, Blair. "Event: Recalling The Cinematic." Column publication, Sydney
2008
Kubler, Alison. Topsy Turvy - Mel O'Callaghan, Gallery Grantpirrie, Sydney
2007
Ramade, Bénédicte. "Les Perdreaux De L'année En Liberté." L'Oeil, no. 595, October
Bailly, Bérénice. "La Fugacite Decryptee Par Cinq Jeunes Artistes." Le Monde, p. 32, April
Lequeux, Emmanuelle. Le Monde, September 29
2005
Australian National Sculpture Prize & Exhibitions, catalogue
Glass Kantor, Alexie. "Mel O'Callaghan, Space Travel." Monument, April-May
Sennewald, Jens-Emil. "Mel O'Callaghan in the Galerie SchleicherLange." Kunst-Bulletin, p. 75, April
Bailly, Bérénice. "Mel O'Callaghan, Somewhere" Le Monde, p. 32, December 3
Gralton, Beatrice. National Sculpure Prize, National Gallery of Australia
Murray Cree, Laura. "Finding Nowhere." Somewhere, Sherman Galleries, Sydney
"New Vectors." 15o Internacional Electronic Arts Biennale Videobrasil
2002
Glass Kantor, Alexi. "The Fly And The Mountain - Mel O'Callaghan and Nell." Monument Magazine, p.108, Issue 47
Millner, Jacqueline. The Fly And The Mountain, exhibition catalogue, Art Gallery New South Wales, Australia, 2002.
Millner, Jacqueline. The Fly And The Mountain, Postwest Publication, March 2002
Low, Lenny Ann. "The Fly And The Mountain." The Sydney Morning Herald, p.11, February 2-3
Szczepaniak, Alex. "Conversation With Mel O'callaghan." Look, Art Gallery of New South Wales, February
2001
Hynes, Victoria. "Weird Science." The Sydney Morning Herald, p.22, June 22-28
Kidd, Courtney. "On The Cutting Edge." The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 22, June 6
2000
James, Bruce. "Mel - New Millenium Kinetics." The Australian Art Collector, p.140, July-September
Jackson, Mark. "Awakening To The Dream." Realtime Magazine, p.48, Aug-Sept
1997
Millner, Jaqueline. "New Guard Avant Guard." Realtime Magazine, June
VIDEO PRESS
2017 "Dans l'atelier de Mel O'Callaghan", Palais de Tokyo
2013 "Interview, The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art", Melbourne Australia Conversation with Alda Galsterer, Making Art Happen
2012 "Documentary of filming of Parade video work by Mel O'Callaghan in Corsica", France, STUDIO channel, SBS Australia
