Abbie Holbrook (b. 1998 Wagga Wagga) is an emerging artist/designer/craftsperson/creative based on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country in Canberra, Australia. Currently completing her B. Visual Arts and Design majoring in textiles at the ANU, Abbie is interested in exploring the written word through the lens of visual culture. She conducts visual research into text as material object through textiles and text based works, existing across 2D and 3D planes. Abbie situates her work within the intersection of art, craft and design, as she specialises in hand embroidered and appliqued soft sculptures, with a highly realised typographical design style.
Abbie’s graduating body of work for the ANU Grad Show 2021 gives physical form to silenced words in an effort to dismantle menstrual shame.
Abbie has exhibited in group shows Reading Between the Lines at Tributary Projects in Canberra, Through the Looking Glass at E3 Gallery in Wagga Wagga and Gallery 76 in Sydney, Tripstych at Gallery 76 in Sydney, and was winner of the ANU Interhall Art Shows in 2018 and 2019. Abbie was awarded the Marie Yeardly Scholarship by the Embroiderer’s Guild of NSW, for a large scale embroidered portrait of her Grandmother, who encouraged and influenced her love of textiles.
EDUCATION
2018 - 2022 Australian National University, Flexible Double Degree - Bachelor of Design and Bachelor of Visual Arts (Textiles)
2016 National Art School, HSC Intensive Studio Practice - Painting
EXHIBITIONS
2022 Beyond Borders: People, Plastic and Pollution, The Embassy of Sweden
2022 New Alumni, ANU School of Art and Design
2022 ANU After Dark, Enlighten Festival
2022 Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries, Craft ACT
2021 ANU Grad Show, Online at gradshow.com.au/
2021 Reading Between the Lines, Tributary Projects, Gorman Arts Centre
2019 Through the Looking Glass, Gallery 76, Embroiderer’s Guild Sydney
2019 ANU Interhall Art Show, Australian National University
2018 Through the Looking Glass, E3 Art Space, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
2018 Tripstych, Gallery 76, Embroiderer’s Guild Sydney
2018 ANU Interhall Art Show, Australian National University
2016 HSC Intensive Studio Practice Graduating Exhibition, National Art School
AWARDS
2021 Megalo Print Studio Residency EASS Award
2021 Craft ACT Emerging Contemporaries EASS Award
2019 Winner of ANU Interhall Art Show
2018 Winner of ANU Interhall Art Show
2018 Marie Yeardly Scholarship Recipient for emerging talent in embroidery
MEDIA
2021 Prized Body of Work, Taylor Dodge
2021 Breaking the Stigma, Sophie Ryan, Medium
2018 Wagga art student Abbie Holbrook gets work on display in exhibition, Jessica McLaughlin, The Daily Advertiser