About
Award winning artist Emily Penso (formerly known as Emily Robinson) graduated from the Canberra School of Art, Australian National University, in 2003.
Since then her work has been exhibited in various cities across Australia, and also in New Zealand and India.
Working mainly in mixed media, where pen and charcoal feature quite dominantly, Emily’s striking drawings deal largely with inner emotional states and their external manifestations. She explores these ideas through playing with scale relationships and staged interactions between figures, objects and animals.
Emily also works professionally as a freelance illustrator. Her portfolio includes work for book covers, book illustrations, advertising material and CD covers.
Education
2003
Canberra School of Art, National Institute of the Arts, ANU
Bachelor of Arts (Visual) with honours
Solo exhibitions
February 1998
‘Cell’
The Gypsy Bar
Canberra, Australia
October 2007
‘In A Topy-Turvy World’
Lismore Regional Art Gallery
Lismore, Australia
Joint exhibitions
September 2004
‘Unthreaded Circumstance – an exhibition of work in progress’ with Rachel Peachey
Bharat Nivas Foyer Gallery
Auroville, South India
March 2005
‘Unthreaded’ with Rachel Peachey
Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Canberra, Australia
Group exhibitions
July 2003
‘The Empty show’
Childers Street Studios
Acton, Canberra, Australia
November 2003
‘Public Liability’
The Commonwealth Hotel
Hunter street, Newcastle, Australia
Semptember 2003
‘Platten’ (Collaborative/interactive live exhibition)
The Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Manuka, Canberra, Australia
December 2003
‘The Empty show’
Abandoned house
Braddon, Canberra, Australia
December 2003
‘ 160 degrees‘
Canberra School of Art Gallery
Canberra, Australia
February 2005
‘Chica: A Female Context’
Phatspace
Sydney, Australia
May 2005
‘CCAS Members Exhibition’
Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Canberra, Australia
May 2005
‘Chica: A Female Context’
Rocket Art
Newcastle, Australia
December 2005
‘Chica:A Female Context’
Platform 2
Melbourne, Australia
April 2006
‘The Oz Pack’
Stark White
Auckland, New Zealand
April 2006 ‘Picture This:
ANU School of Art Painting Alumni’
Canberra School of Art Gallery
Canberra, Australia
May 2006
‘Visage’
Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Canberra, Australia
June 2006
‘Picture This – Travelling exhibition’
Sydney College of the Arts
Sydney, Australia
September 2006
‘NSW Regional Art Awards’
The Pinnacles Gallery
Thuringowa, Australia
October 2006
‘NSW Regional Art Awards’
Raw Art
Brisbane, Australia
September 2009
(as part of a collaborative work by Amelia’s Magazine)
‘House of Cards’
The Haunch of Venice
London, UK
Residencies
September 2004
‘Kala Khoj’ Artist Residency Program
Auroville, South India
Grants
2004
Arts ACT ‘Quick response’ grant, to fund residency in South India
Awards
2002
Highly Commended
Canberra School of Art Drawing Competition
2003
NECG Acquisitive Award
Emerging Artists Award Scheme
2006
McGregor Schools Bursary
NSW Regional Art Awards
Collections
National Economics Consulting Group –Potts Point, Sydney
Rocket Art – Newcastle
Notable Illustrations
‘Rogue Songs’ by Heather Catchpole; Homosapien Press
‘Ghosts becoming people’ by Josh Garden;Ginninderra Press
‘Homosapien: A Fantasy about Pro-wrestling’ by Julie Bozar; Homosapien Press
‘The Agreement’ by Don Diespecker; Homosapien Press
‘It Felt Like Forever’ (CD Cover Art) by Alberteen
‘The Present History’ by The Contextual Villains