DANIEL O’SHANE – CV
b. 1990 Cairns, Qld
Language Group:
Miriam Mer (Eastern Torres Strait) – mother
Kuku Yalanji (Mossman to Cooktown) – father
Tribe: Meuram (Darnley/Erub Island)
Totem: Beugerr (Booby Bird)
Clan Totems: Omia (Dog), Nam (Green Sea Turtle), Serarr (Black Neit Tern)
Daniel comes from a strong family of Aboriginal and Eastern Torres Strait Islander heritage. The traditional stories re-told in Daniel’s work are passed down to him by family members and respected elders from Erub (Darnley) Island, home to his mother’s family. Daniel draws inspiration from the previous generation of Torres Strait Islander printmakers, combining an extraordinary talent in carving ‘warr’, a form of symbolic patterning, to create a rich moving tapestry that serves as a backdrop for the characters in his stories. Daniel has been the recipient of several prestigious national print awards, and his work is held in major national and international collections.
Group Exhibitions
2021 Explore Sydney Contemporary (online), Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
2021 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (online)
2021 WARWAR: The Art of Torres Straits, Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
2021 Fremantle Art Centre Print Award, Fremantle, WA (finalist)
2021 Inkfest 21: Inkmasters Biennial Print Exhibition, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, Qld
2021 Reimagining: Between Tradition and Innovation, Cairns Art Gallery, Qld
2021 Cairns Art Society 73rd Annual Exhibition, Cairns Art Gallery, Qld
2020 Critical Mass: The Art of Planetary Health, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Gallery, Katoomba, NSW
2020 Sydney Contemporary Presents 2020, virtual (online) art fair
2020 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, virtual (online) art fair
2020 Shiver, Onespace Gallery, Brisbane
2018-20 As Far as the Eye Can See, touring to Regional Galleries throughout Australia (curated by Blue Mountains Cultural Centre)
2017-18 Daniel O’Shane and Glen Mackie: A celebration of the work of two artists from the Torres Strait Islands, Art Gallery of NSW
2017 ARTNOW FNQ, Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, Qld
2017 Mabo 25th Anniversary, Gallery Gilimbaa, Brisbane
2017 Partners in Print (with Sydney Printmakers), KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns
2017 Partners in Print (with Sydney Printmakers), SPOT81 at Janet Clayton Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2016 As Far as The Eye Can See, Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Katoomba, NSW
2016 National Works on Paper Award (Winner), Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Vic.
2016 Inkmasters Cairns 3rd Print Exhibition, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
2016 Spirit: Celebrating the Culture, Vision and Skills of Canopy Artists, Canopy Art Centre, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
2016 Gondwana’s Garden, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
2015 Silk Cut Print Award (Grand Prize Winner), Glen Eira Council Gallery, Vic.
2015 33rd Telstra National Indigenous Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin (Finalist)
2015 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Cairns
2015 Mapping Memories–Tracking Visions-Reclaiming Culture, Bungendore Woodworks Gallery, Bungendore, NSW
2015 Encounter/Northern Encounter, Impress Gallery, Brisbane and Canopy Art Centre, Cairns
2015 Mapping Memories, Reclaiming Culture: Stories from Far North Qld, Canopy Art Centre, Cairns (Indigenous Art Fair)
2014 32nd Telstra National Indigenous Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin (Finalist – Highly Commended)
2014 Fremantle Print Award, Perth WA (Finalist – Special Commendation)
2014 Rear Visions: Stories from Home, Canopy Art Centre, Cairns (Cairns Indigenous Art Fair)
2014 Inkfest: A Festival of Printmaking, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
2013 For Love of Country – Torres Strait Island Vinylcuts, Tali Gallery, Sydney
2013 Torres Strait Islander Prints, Surry Hills Library, Sydney
2013 Inside/Out: Mapping Spiritual Journeys, Circa 1907 Contemporary Artspace, Cairns
2012 Inkfest: A Festival of Printmaking, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
Awards
2019 Winner People’s Choice Award, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair
2018 Robert Clark Builders Prize for Indigenous Excellence in Printmaking, Inkfest Exhibition, Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
2017 People’s Choice Award, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair for vinylcut print “ii ra mer ene Gawei” (the sound of tears and Gawei)
2016 Winner, National Works on Paper Award, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Vic.
2015 Grand Prize Winner, Silk Cut Award, Vic.
2015 Finalist (Works on Paper Section), 32nd Telstra National Indigenous Art Award, Museum of Arts & Sciences, Darwin, NT
2014 Finalist (Youth Award Section) – Highly Commended, 31st Telstra National Indigenous Art Award, Museum of Arts & Sciences, Darwin, NT
2014 Special Commendation, Fremantle Print Award, Perth WA
Publications
2018 ABC Series Everyone’s a Critic (Episode 6), filmed at Art Gallery of NSW – screened 2 August 2018
2016 Peppermint Magazine, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, 16 July 2016
2016 The Australian, 20 July 2016 (Arts)
2016 The AU Review (online), 20 July 2016
2016 The Cairns Post, p. 4, 18 July 2016
2015 Indigenous Law Bulletin, Sept/Oct 2015, Vol. 8, No. 20, magazine cover, artist profile and images
2015 Fremantle Art Centre Print Award, Louise Morrison, IMPRINT Magazine, Autumn 2015, Vol. 50, No. 1, p.10
2014 The Conversation, Making an impression: 39 years of the Fremantle Print Award (online)
Commissions
2020 Print Council of Australia print commission
2019 Design for printing onto garments by Life Apparel, Australia
Collections
Art Gallery of NSW
Burke Museum, Seattle, USA
Burnie Regional Gallery, Tasmania
Cairns Art Gallery, Qld
Central Queensland University
Charles Sturt University, NSW
City of Yarra, Vic.
Coral Expeditions collection, Cairns, Qld
Curtin University (John Curtin Gallery), Perth, WA
IATSIS (Institute for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies), Canberra ACT
National Gallery of Australia, ACT
Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Vic.
Museum & Art Gallery of the NT
Queensland Parliament, Brisbane
Redland Art Gallery, Brisbane
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Qld
University of Melbourne, Bailieu Library, Vic.
University of Queensland Art Museum
+ private national and international collections
