Michael Simms is a multi-award winning interdisciplinary artist based in Sydney, Australia on Gadigal Country. His practice engages with themes around queer identity, masculinity, the impacts of digital technology and the body. Michael completed a degree in psychology in Adelaide before winning a scholarship to study at Sydney’s historic Julian Ashton Art School. He has been shortlisted for major art competitions including the Archibald Prize and is the winner of the Royal Art Society of NSW Young Artist Prize. He is represented by Flinders Lane Gallery in Melbourne.
SELECT AWARDS AND PRIZES
2023 Finalist in the Archibald Prize, The Art Gallery of NSW
2023 Finalist in the Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Caloundra Regional Gallery
2023 Winner of the Packers’ Prize at the Kennedy Art Prize, The Royal Art Society of South Australia
2022 Finalist in the Darling Portrait Prize, The National Portrait Gallery
2022 Finalist in the Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery
2022 Finalist in the Mudgee Portrait Prize, Mudgee Arts Precinct
2021 Finalist in the Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Gallery
2021 Finalist in the Clayton Utz Art Award
2021 Finalist in the Shirley Hannan Portrait Prize, Bega Valley Regional Gallery
2020 Finalist in the Percivals Portrait Prize, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
2020 Finalist in the Global Art Awards, Shanghai, China
2019 Highly Commended at the Naked and Nude Art Prize, Manning Regional Gallery
2019 Highly Commended at the Melt Portrait Prize, Brisbane Powerhouse
2019 Finalist in the Eutick Memorial Still Life Award, Project Artspace
2019 Finalist in the 14th International ARC Salon, Art Renewal Center
2019 Finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Campbelltown Arts Centre
2018 Winner of the Young Artist Prize, the Royal Art Society of NSW
2018 Winner of the SBS Portrait Prize, Southern Buoy Studios
2018 Winner of the EBNA Portrait Prize and People’s Choice Award, YSC Consultancy
2018 Finalist in the Kilgour Art Prize, Newcastle Art Gallery
2018 Finalist in the Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2017 Finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Juniper Hall
2017 Finalist in the Lyn McCrea Memoral Drawing Prize, Noosa Regional Gallery
2017 Highly Commended at the Lethbridge 10000 Small Scale Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery
2016 Winner of the Cliftons Sydney Art Prize and Cliftons People's Choice Award
2016 Finalist in the Blacktown Art Prize, Blacktown Arts Centre
2016 Finalist in the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, Art Gallery of Western Australia
2016 Winner of the Cambridge Studio Gallery Portrait Prize
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 ‘Charged’, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2023 ‘Stages: Sydney WorldPride’, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Sydney
2023 ‘Personas’, Frances Keevil, Sydney
2022 ‘Memories and Dust’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2022 ‘Stages’, Manning Regional Gallery, NSW
2021 ‘Distance’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne (online)
2021 ‘ Epoch’, Frances Keevil, Sydney (online)
2020 ‘Drive’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2018 ‘Interfacing’, Stanley Street Gallery, Sydney
2017 'Brink', Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 ‘Lives of Their Own’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2022 ‘Glow’, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2022 ‘Wanderlust’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2021 ‘Home’, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2020 ‘A Passion Shared | the ELLIOTT EYES COLLECTION’, Maitland Regional Gallery, NSW
2020 ‘Artists to Watch’, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2020 ‘Still’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2019 ‘Nude’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2019 ‘On The Fringe’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2019 ‘ Equus’, Frances Keevil Gallery, Sydney
2018 ‘Undercurrents’, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2018 'Temporal', Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
2017 'Exploration 17', Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
2017 'The Other Art Fair', Australia Technology Park, Sydney
EDUCATION
2011 - 2014 The Julian Ashton Art School (Recipient of the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Art Full-Time Scholarship)
2006 - 2011 Flinders University (Bachelor of Behavioural Science and Bachelor of Arts)
RESIDENCIES
2024 Bundanon Artist in Residence Program
2024 Gang Gang Residency Program
2022 The Broken Hill Art Exchange
2019 The New York Academy of Art