Rox De Luca (born 1963) is an Australian visual artist whose work examines environmental issues and sustainability through sculpture and public art, predominantly made from found plastics.[1][2] Her work is held by multiple national and regional collections including Artbank, Deakin University Art Collection (Victoria), New England Regional Art Museum (New South Wales), and Edith Cowan University (Western Australia), and at Royal Perth Hospital (Western Australia) and University of Sydney Union (New South Wales).

Rox De Luca
Born1963
OccupationVisual artist

Art work and career

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De Luca's early practice was influenced by her Italian migrant background.[3] She investigated histories of migration and the cross-cultural impact of everyday objects like kitchen implements and personal items such as a collection of Italian needlework patterns her mother gave to her,[4] and painted portraits.[5]

Since the early 2010s De Luca's work has focused on the concepts of abundance, excess and waste,[6] and the ethics of living sustainably.[7] Her studio practice involves collecting kilos of plastic waste debris from the shores of local beaches such as Bondi Beach or Rose Bay in Sydney,[8] guided primarily by colour.[9] At her studio the plastics are sorted and threaded using strings of wire into sculpture works that speak to consumption, abundance, plastic pollution and waste.[10] [8]

In 2022 De Luca contributed work to the artist's collective Project Vortex, an international collective of artists and creatives who work to address the problems of plastic pollution.[11]

De Luca has exhibited in museums and galleries in Australia and Europe including Museum of Sydney,[12] Australian National Maritime Museum,[13] Fremantle Arts Centre, Arts Project Australia, Canberra School of Art, Bondi Pavilion, China Cultural Centre Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre, and Espacio Menosuno, Madrid.

Her work is represented in the archive of the Women's Art Register.

Awards, Prizes and Residencies

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De Luca has been a finalist in a number of art prizes including the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award in 2018,[14] and again in 2024,[15] the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize (2017),[16] and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre (2021), and won the GreenWay Art Prize,[17] Environmental Art and Design Prize (2021).

She was on the judging panel of the City of Ryde Sustainable Waste to Art Prize in 2020.[18]

De Luca has received multiple artist-in-residence opportunities including the City of Waverley (NSW) Artist Studios, and the inaugural artist in residence at Orlebar Brown[19] (2024), the Gunyah Residency Program,[20] the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, NSW[21] (2022) and the Fremantle Arts Centre[20] (2019).

Selected solo exhibitions[22]

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  • 2021 - Chutespace, Canberra[23]
  • 2019 - Gleaning for plastic, on the beach, Art+Climate= Change, Loop, Melbourne[24]
  • 2013 - Sculpture by the sea, Sydney[25]
  • 2012 - Saved, James Dorahy Project Space, Sydney[6]

Selected group exhibitions[22]

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  • 2024 - Colour is enough, Arts Project Australia,[26] Melbourne
  • 2024 - Beauty Runs the Gauntlet, Bondi Pavilion Gallery, Sydney[27]
  • 2023 - Plastic: Unwrapping the World, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery[28]
  • 2022 - Plastic-free Biennale Kandos, collaboration with Plastic Free Biennale, (Lucas Ihlein, Kim Williams, First Nations Sister GlitterNullius), Wayout, Kandos, NSW[29]
  • 2022 - Material Girl, China Cultural Centre, Sydney, Curated by Nicholas Tsoutsas
  • 2022 - Omnivores, Duckrabbit, Redfern, NSW
  • 2021 - Hundreds and Thousands, Fremantle Arts Centre, Western Australia[30]
  • 2021 - On REvolution, Gallery Central, North Metro TAFE, Perth[31]
  • 2020 - Contour 556, Curated by Neil Hobbs, Canberra
  • 2019 - The Art for the Wilderness, Queen Street Galleries, Woollahra, Sydney[32]
  • 2018 - Sentient Visibility, Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, Sydney[33]
  • 2010 - Más Razones, with Jo Darbyshire, Espacio Menosuno, Madrid[34]
  • 2003 - Italiani di Sydney, Museum of Sydney, Sydney[12]
  • 2001 - Stitches - Fare Il Punto,[35] Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney[13]
  • 1999 - Family Ties, 24HR Art, Darwin
  • 1997 - 25 Reasons[36]

Collections

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Publications

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Luca, Rox De (2016-02-13). "Abundance, Excess, Waste". PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. 13 (1). doi:10.5130/portal.v13i1.4793. ISSN 1449-2490. [38]

De Luca, Rox & Darbyshire, Jo, 1961- & Fremantle Arts Centre. 1999, 50 reasons / Rox De Luca [and] Jo Darbyshire. Freemantle Arts Centre Freemantle, W.A. [39]

References

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  1. ^ Allatson, Paul (2020). "Rox De Luca: Gleaning for plastics, defying wastefulness" (PDF). Rox De Luca. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  2. ^ "Rox De Luca – Canberra Art Biennial". Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  3. ^ Brennan, Anne (1 December 1997). "Beyond reason: Jo Darbyshire and Rox De Luca". Eyeline. 35: 22–24.
  4. ^ Accarigi, Vanni (2016). "The Transcultural Edge" (PDF). PORTAL. 13 (1).
  5. ^ Allatson, Paul (1996). "Men and Mettle". Artlink. 16 (1): 24–26.
  6. ^ a b Luca, Rox De (2016-02-13). "Abundance, Excess, Waste". PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. 13 (1). doi:10.5130/portal.v13i1.4793. ISSN 1449-2490.
  7. ^ Millner, Jacqueline; Moore, Catriona (2022). Contemporary art and feminism. New York: Routledge. p. 193.
  8. ^ a b "Sea Of Plastic: An Artists Quest To Address Ocean Pollution". Culture Trip. 2020-02-25. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  9. ^ Millner, Jacqueline (2012). SAVED. Sydney: James Dohary Project Space.
  10. ^ Lei, Celina (9 November 2021). "Artists giving materials a new life". Arts Hub. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Project Vortex". Project Vortex. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  12. ^ a b "Italiani di Sydney | MHNSW". Museums of History NSW. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  13. ^ a b Rogers, Jo (15 August 2001). "Sewing the seas". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). p. 47.
  14. ^ "Review: Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award 2018". www.artshub.com.au. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  15. ^ "Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award". www.deakin.edu.au. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  16. ^ "The Inaugural Ravenswood Australian Women's Art Prize – Finalists Announced". UNSW Sites. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  17. ^ "ABOUT". GreenWay Art Prize. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
  18. ^ "Turning waste into art is a community affair". www.artshub.com.au. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  19. ^ "Elegantly Wasted". GQ. pp. 9/10. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Gunyah artist-in-residence program". gunyah.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  21. ^ "Rox de Luca". www.woollahragallery.com.au. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  22. ^ a b c d "CV". www.roxdeluca.com. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  23. ^ "Chutespace — M16 Artspace".
  24. ^ "ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019 | green magazine". 24 February 2019.
  25. ^ McDonald, Shae (29 October 2013). "Plastic turns fantastic art". Southern Courier. p. 13.
  26. ^ "Colour is Enough - Arts Project Australia".
  27. ^ "Beauty Runs the Gauntlet, Bondi pavilion | Eastern Suburbs Mums". 3 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Plastic: Unwrapping the World | Wagga Wagga Art Gallery". 13 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Announcing Plastic-free Kandos! – Plastic-free Biennale". 27 May 2022.
  30. ^ "Hundreds & Thousands - Fremantle Arts Centre".
  31. ^ "Gallery Central | Exhibitions".
  32. ^ "Art for the Wilderness".
  33. ^ Levitch, Anne. "Sentient Visability" (PDF). Grace Cossington Smith Gallery. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  34. ^ Lencinas, Queralt. "Más Razones" (PDF). Menos Uno. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Stitches = fare il punto : 18 August - 30 September 2001, Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling... - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
  36. ^ Brennan, Anne (December 1997). "Beyond reason: Jo Darbyshire and Rox De Luca". Eyeline. 35 (Summer 1997 - 1998): 22–24.
  37. ^ Deakin University Art Collection. "Deakin University Art Collection" (PDF). Deakin University. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  38. ^ Luca, Rox De (2016-02-13). "Abundance, Excess, Waste". PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies. 13 (1). doi:10.5130/portal.v13i1.4793. ISSN 1449-2490.
  39. ^ "50 reasons / Rox De Luca [and] Jo Darbyshire - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
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