The Presence of an Absence

Selected Biography

• 2015-18   PhD, Newcastle University, NSW.
• 2008-10  Master of Philosophy (Fine Art), Newcastle University, NSW.
• 1978-79   Certificate of Art, Newcastle School of Art & Design, NSW.
• 1975-77    Stitched Sculpture, Private Tutor.
• 1973-75    Ceramics (p/t) - Newcastle School of Art & Design, NSW.
• 1946          Born in Wikamatown, VIC

Solo Exhibitions

• 2020        The Shadow Speaks, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2019         Recent Acquisitions, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
• 2019         The Tangible and the Shadow, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2018          Seeing the Shadow, MAY SPACE, Sydney.
• 2018         Seeing the Shadow, The University Gallery, Newcastle, NSW
• 2016         A Dirty Business (with Andy Devine), Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
• 2015         Second self, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney.
• 2014-16   Black Harvest (with Andy Devine), Touring exhibition, Moree Plains Gallery; Cessnock Regional Art Gallery; Glasshouse Regional Gallery, Port Macquarie; Muswellbrook Regional Art Centre; Manly Art Gallery & Museum
• 2014        Figure in the landscape, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2013        Black Harvest (with Andy Devine), Cooks Hill Galleries, NSW
• 2012         On the Nature of Things, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2011         Gallery East, WA, A Passage Through Time, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2010        Postgraduate Exhibition, The University Gallery, Newcastle NSW
• 2010        Something Other Than Itself, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2009       Midway Along the Path of Life, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Gallery East, WA
• 2009       Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
• 2007       Place and Circumstance, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Gallery East, WA
• 2006      Journey Past and Present, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2005     Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
• 2005     The Passage of Time, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2004     Brenda May Gallery, Sydney.
• 2003     Brenda May Gallery, Sydney.
• 2003     Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
• 2002     Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
• 2001     Nick Mitzevich Gallery, Newcastle NSW
• 2000-1 Parallels & Crossovers: An Artistic Relationship, Peter & Lezlie Tilley
• 1991-2000, Touring Show curated by Anthony Bond, Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW; Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, NSW; Manning Regional Art Gallery, NSW; New England Region Art Museum, NSW; Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery, NSW; Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 1999    Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney.
• 1997    Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney.
• 1996    Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney.
• 1994    Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney.
• 1992    Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney.
• 1990   Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery. Access Gallery, Sydney.
• 1989   Access Gallery, Sydney.
• 1988   Gryphon Gallery, Melbourne.
• 1987   Von Bertouch Galleries, Newcastle.
• 1965   Gannel Gallery, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Vic.
• 1964   Butchers Ext, Sydney.

Selected Mixed Exhibitions

• 2020   (scheduled) Sculpture  by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney
• 2020   (Finalist) Sculpture in the Vineyards, Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival, NSW
• 2019    (Finalist) Georges River Art Prize, Hurstville Museum and Gallery, NSW
• 2019    Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney.
• 2019    Winter Solstice Sculpture Exhibition ‘Response’, Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, NSW
• 2019    Shelf Life, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2018    Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney
• 2018    Concerning Peace, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW Memoranda, University of Newcastle
• 2018    Gallery, NSW MUGGED!, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2017    Ceramic Revisions II, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2017    The Phantom Show, Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW; Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
• 2017    MAY SPACE: FOURTEEN, MAY SPACE, Sydney
• 2016    “Yeah. Cheers. Thanks a lot”, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Highlights from the MRAG Collection,
• 2016     Maitland Regional Art Gallery, NSW
• 2016     Highlights from the MRAG Collection, Maitland Regional Art Gallery.
• 2016     Sculpture 2016: Bronze, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2015    30 Years | 30 Artists | 30 Works, Brenda May Gallery,
• 2015    Sydney Untitled Show, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2015    Signature, The University Gallery, The University of Newcastle
• 2015    Sculpture by the Sea Decade Club, Macquarie Group, Sydney
• 2015    Visible Storage, Artbank, Sydney
• 2015     Sculpture 2015: Sculpture Park, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2014    Elephant in the Room, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2014    Sculpture in the Vineyards, NSW
• 2014    (Finalist) Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture
• 2014    Award, Deakin University Art Gallery, VIC Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney NSW
• 2014    Hidden, Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney Sculpture, Newcastle University, NSW Landscape, Brenda
• 2014    May Gallery, Sydney Sculpture
• 2014    Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2013    Sculpture in the Vineyards, Hunter Valley, NSW
• 2013    Sculpture Inside, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney Mighty Small, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2012   Sculpture in the Vineyards, Hunter Valley, NSW
• 2012   Reflective Dialogues, The University of Newcastle Gallery In The Mirror,
• 2012   Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2012   Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA
• 2012   Major Artists, Major Works, Brenda
• 2012   May Gallery, Sydney Sculpture
• 2012   Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2011    Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney
• 2011   Preparation for the Final Journey, Newcastle Art Space
• 2011   Body Language, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA
• 2011   Kooindah Acquisitive Sculpture Prize Exhibition, NSW Rookwood Sculpture Walk, NSW
• 2011   Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2010   Green, Brenda May Gallery,
• 2010   Sydney Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney
• 2010   Sculpture in the Vineyards, Wollombi, NSW
• 2010   Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA
• 2010   Sculpture Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2009   Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney
• 2009   40 x 40 x 40, Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne VIC
• 2009   Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus, Denmark Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA
• 2009   The Flower Show, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2008   Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney
• 2008  Narrative, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Memento Mori,
• 2008   Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2008  Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA
• 2008  Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, VIC
• 2007   Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, WA Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney
• 2006  Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney
• 2006  Applied Arts - Form + Function, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney SMALL, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2006  Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Building, VIC
• 2006  The Figure In Question, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW
• 2005  Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney Sculpture
• 2005  Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Couples/Collaborators + Other Partnerships, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2004   Sculpture by the Sea + Sculpture Inside, Sydney Sculpture 2004, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney
• 2004   The Frank Saxby Bequest Invitation Art Acquisitions Prize, Manning Regional Art Gallery, Taree
• 2004   Chalk and Cheese, Newcastle Art Space, NSW Melbourne Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Bld, VIC
• 2003   Dangerous Toys, Brenda May Gallery, Sydney Kinetica, Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW
• 2001   Well Connected: Dobell + Company, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery
• 2000   Sculpture 2000, Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney Contemporary Sculpture, 2 artists,
• 2000   Penrith Regional Gallery, Sydney
• 2000   A Contemporary Perspective -An Exploration of Medium, Port Stephens Community Arts Centre;
• 2000   Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre; Maitland City Art Gallery
• 2000   NSWElements of Sculpture, 2 artists, Tamworth Region
• 2000  Gallery Melbourne Art Fair
• 2000  Royal Exhibition Building
• 1998    Steel Works - A Regeneration, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery The Rose, Lake Macquarie City Art
• 1998    Gallery, NSW Stretched, 5 artists, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, NSW
• 1997    Newcastle National Ceramic Award, Newcastle Regional Art Gallery
• 1996    Artistic Relationship, Maitland City Art Gallery
• 1994    Survey of Men Artists of the Hunter Region, Maitland City Art
• 1994   Gallery The First Eleven, Faculty of Art & Design Gallery, University of Newcastle, NSW
• 1993    New Art Eight, Access Contemporary Art Gallery, Sydney
• 1992    Access to Adelaide, 7 Sculptors - BMG Fine Art, Adelaide SA
• 1992    Stanthorpe Heritage Arts Festival, QLD
• 1992   Objective Subjects - Subjective Objects, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, NSW
• 1992   ACAF•3 Sculpture Exhibition, Royal Exhibition Building, VIC
• 1991    3 Artists, Recent Works, Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW
• 1990-8 Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhib. Building, VIC
• 1990 The Artistic Relationship, Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW
• 1990  Shifting Ground, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
• 1990  Sydney Myer Australia Day Ceramics Award, Shepparton Gallery
• 1988  Sculpture Now, Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW
• 1986 Fletcher Jones Invitational, Warrnambool Art Gallery, VIC
• 1986  Hunter Valley Sculptors, Newcastle Region Art Gallery, NSW

Awards/Prizes/Commissions

• 2019 Winner, Major Acquisitive Prize, Sculpture on the Farm
• 2018 Winner, RUPIO Prize, Sculpture on the Farm
• 2016 Acquisitive (w/ Andy Divine), Newcastle Club Foundation Painting Prize
• 2015  Winner, Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Sculpture Prize
• 2014  Winner, Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Sculpture Prize
• 2012 Winner, Friends of the University 2012 Acquisitive Prize for the University Collection, Newcastle University
• 2011 Winner, In Situ 11 Sculpture Prize, Mosman
• 2010 Sculpture in the Vineyards, Noyce Brothers Wines Sculpture Award
• 2000 Acquisitive, Hunter Valley Ceramic Award, Muswellbrook Regional Gallery
• 1998 Newcastle AH & I Association Special Prize
• 1997 Major Public Sculpture Commission - Maitland Mercury for the City of Maitland
• 1993 Major Sculpture Commission, Gilbert & Tobin, Sydney Newcastle AH & I Association Sculpture Prize Miniature Prize, Shoal Bay Art Prize, NSW
• Hunter Valley Ceramic Award, Muswellbrook Regional Gallery 1992 Pottery Prize, Festival of Port Stephens Art Exhibition Acquisitive, Tomago Aluminium Sculpture Prize Newcastle AH & I Association Sculpture Prize Maitland Art Prize, Maitland City Art Gallery
• Acquisitive, Ceramic Prize, Stanthorpe Heritage Arts Festival Acquisitive, Costain Ceramic Award, Muswellbrook Regional Art Gallery
• 1979 Von Bertouch Galleries Prize

Published/Reproduced - Selected

• 2019 “The Sculpture on the Farm event drew 2000 visitors”, Dungog Chronicle, 29 October
• 2018 Hynes, Victoria. “Out of the Shadows”, World Sculpture News, Vol 24, No 2, Spring, p.28-31
• Stowell, Jill. “Brilliant Tilley”, Newcastle Herald, 31 Mar, p.34
• 2016  Barnes, John. “Newcastle Club Painting Prize 2016: The winner of the city’s newest major art prize”, Newcastle Herald, 18 Nov
• 2015  Stowell, Jill. “Two minds on one dusty concern”, Newcastle Herald, 24 Jan, p.34
• 2014 Cormack, Lucy. “Clock’s ticking as sculpture show returns even bigger and better”, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 Oct, p.4-5
• 2013 “Surf, Sand and Vision”, Atelier, February, p.102 “Sculpture 2013”, SMH – Spectrum, 19-20 January, p.21 2012 Fortescue E. “Bearing fruit”, Daily Telegraph, 27 Oct, p.7
• Edwards, A. “Sculptor doubles appeal”, Newcastle Herald, 25/10, p18 Hopcroft, Helen. “Peter Tilley and the Garden of Death”, Art Monthly, October, p.17-9
• Stowell, J. “Hidden meanings”, Newcastle Herald, May19, p.18 “Sculpture by the Sea (SxS)”, Sculpture, vol.31, no.4, p.25
• 2011  Hill, Michael and John McDonald. Sculpture by the Sea, the First Fifteen Years 1997-2011, Media 21 Publishing, p.119
• “Sculpture in the Vineyards”, Hunter Valley Breathe #31, p.44
• 2010 Stowell Jill. “Choice Viewing”, Newcastle Herald, Mar 20, p.11 2009 Stowell, J. “Brilliant Darkness”, Newcastle Herald, Jun 20, p11 Lyons Melissa. “Sculptor onto a shore thing”, Newcastle Herald, March 29
• 2008 Catalogue, 50 Years of Muswellbrook Shire Collection
• 1958-2008, Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre, p107-109
• 2007 Stowell, J. “Exploring new terrain”, Newcastle Herald, 22/9, p30 NSW Scoop Traveller, #2, Jul-Dec, p.75 C+A, issue 5, March, p.10
• Wasley, Alice. “The Planner”, SMH, 3-4 Nov, p.6
• 2004 TV Feature, “Sculpture 2004”, Today show, TCN9, Jan 28
• 2003 Catalogue. Hidden Treasures, The Maitland Collection, Maitland Regional Gallery, p39
• “The Week’s Best”, Metro, SMH, Sept 12-18, p.2 Human Rights Defender, vol. 12, issue 3, p.15
• 2002 “Exhibitions, critic’s picks”, Metro, SMH, June 28-July 4. p.27
• 2001 SMH, Metro, Sept 21-27
• Stowell, Jill. “Visible feast”, Newcastle Herald, Aug 18, p.15
• 2000 Catalogue, Contemporary Sculpture by Leslie Oliver and Peter Tilley, Penrith Regional Gallery & Lewers Bequest, NSW Stowell, Jill. “Locals in the frame”, Newcastle Herald, Aug 26 Stowell Jill. “Weekend Feature”, Newcastle Herald, July 8
• Smee, Sebastian. SMH, Metro, Sept 24-30 Watson, Bronwyn. SMH, Sept 21
• Ryan, M. “Harmonious marriage”, Newcastle Herald, Nov 11, p26 1999 Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 21 Metro, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 - 30 Sept
• 1998 Thinking Business, Uni of Newcastle Publication, Issue No.11 Page, Donna. “Exhibition views steelworks closure through artists' eyes”, Newcastle Herald, March 30, p4
• 1995 Thorpe, DW. Who's Who of Australian Visual Artists
• 1994 McCulloch, A & S. Encyclopedia of Australian Art, Allen & Unwin
• 1993 Drury, Nevill. New Art Eight, Craftsman House
• Drury, Nevill. New Sculpture, Craftsman House
• 1992 “New Art”, Interiors Magazine, Vol.6 No.1, Feb/Mar, p17
• Kidd, C. “Sculpture Features at Access”, State of the Art, Mar, p13 Hill, Peter. “Sculpture at the Third Australian Contemporary Art Fair”, Asian Art News, Nov/Dec p62
• 1990 Thompson, I. “Iconic Assemblages”, Craft Arts, #18, Mar/Jun Chesterfield-Evans, Jan. “Artemis”, Newcastle Gallery Society Magazine, Vol.20 No.3, July/Sept
• Shifting Ground, Newcastle Artists, AGNSW, Aug 15-19 Germaine, M. Artists & Galleries of Australia, Craftsman House

Represented

• Arts ACT; Artbank; Manly Art Gallery & Museum, NSW; Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW; Warrnambool Art
• Gallery,VIC; Campbelltown City Bicentennial Art Gallery, NSW; Maitland City Art Gallery, NSW;
• Stanthorpe Art Gallery, QLD; Muswellbrook Regional Gallery, NSW; University of Newcastle Collection;
• Cottesloe Council, Perth, WA; Clayton Utz, Sydney; Hunter Valley Private Hospital; Hunter Urban Division of General Practitioners; Tomago Aluminium Collection, NSW; Newcastle Club, NSW; private collections, Denmark, Australia.