Luke Thurgate is an Australian painter and mural artist.
Early life and education Luke Thurgate graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Newcastle, Australia in 2007, and went on to do a Masters of Fine Arts at the National Art School, where he also teaches drawing.
Career Thurgate's extensive exhibition history in Australia and New Zealand including exhibitions at Burra Regional Art Gallery, Bergman Gallery, Backwoods Gallery, National Art School, Adelaide Central Gallery, M.Contemporary, Mop Project Space, John Miller Gallery, Watt Space Gallery and John Paynter Gallery.
His works are often featured in LGBTQIA+ festivals and events such as Sydney Mardi Gras, Sydney WorldPride, and Auckland Pride Festival.
Recognition In 2009, Thurgate was a finalist in the Dobell Drawing Prize. In 2020, he was a finalist in the Tom Bass Figurative Sculpture Prize and the Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award.
Thurgate's finalist 2019 Dobell Drawing Prize entry was featured in The Guardian. His finalist 2023 Dobell Drawing Prize was a performance piece drawn on the opening night, a big mural that is semi-permanent, where it was eventually covered with wall paint, and no traces of the drawing would remain. This is common with Thurgate's work, where it is drawn on the walls with charcoal and displayed for a limited time only.
Residencies 2018: The Burra Archive, Burra Regional Art Gallery 2017: Seymour College, Adelaide 2017: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Adelaide 2015: Artlab Australia, Adelaide 2005: Rocket Art, Antique Boys Artist in Residence, Newcastle
Collections Thurgate's works are in numerous private and public collections, including National Art School, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Macquarie University, University of South Australia, Catherine Croll Collection, and Alex Seton Collection.
Exhibitions Selected solo and collaborative exhibitions
2024: Lucas Grogan and Luke Thurgate: Heralds, Bergman Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand 2023: Dress Code, .M Contemporary, Darlinghurst, Australia 2023: Adore You, Sydney WorldPride, NAS Gallery, Sydney, Australia 2022: Lisa Jones & Luke Thurgate, .M Contemporary, Darlinghurst, Australia 2018: The Burra Archive, Burra Regional Art Gallery, Australia 2016: Face Off, Floating Goose Studios, Adelaide, Australia 2016: Efface (with Chelsea Lehmann), Strange Neighbour Gallery, Melbourne, Australia 2010: How to Draw Sex, Violence and Death the Luke Thurgate Way, Firstdraft, Sydney, Australia 2005: Yellow Socks Brigade (with Lucas Grogan), Watt Space Gallery, Newcastle, Australia
Selected group exhibitions
2024: Aotearoa Art Fair, Bergman Gallery, Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland, New Zealand 2023: Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, M.Contemporary, Sydney, Australia 2023: Holy Smokes, Backwoods Gallery, Collingwood, Australia 2023: Pride & Prejudice, Part 1, Bergman Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand 2010: Labelled Queer, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland, Australia 2017: The Drawing Exchange, Adelaide Central School of Art & National Art School, Australia 2015: Adorn, Adelaide Central Gallery, Adelaide, Australia 2014: Gematria, Adelaide Central Gallery, Adelaide, Australia
References