Biography

Luke Cornish’s aptitude towards creativity was inherent from an early age. Originally from Canberra, and now living and working in Sydney, Cornish is known in the urban art world by his moniker, ELK. Incorporating his background in urban contemporary art, Cornish traverses the expansiveness of the street environment, adapting his practice to more artistically controlled materials such as canvas, aluminium, board and glass, effortlessly. Cornish’s practice is meticulous. Each of his artworks are constructed from up to 1,000 sheets of acetate stencils and up to 243 different colours of layered aerosol paint, until they take on a photographic realism. Just like our footprint is merely momentary in the sands of time, Cornish’s work is founded in a style which had its fundamentals in ephemerality. Stencil art was one of the earliest forms of social and political activism and Cornish’s practice doesn’t stray far from this intention. (http://www.elkstencils.com/bio)

Exhibitions

SOLO SHOWS: 2018- The Sea- Lock up Gallery, Newcastle 2018- (in)appropriate- Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2018- No place like home, Tuggeranong art centre, Canberra 2017- Zero to the left, Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2017- Road to Damascus, nanda\hobbs Contemporary, Sydney 2016- Vanishing Point, nanda\hobbs Contemporary, Sydney 2016- Concrete Jungle, Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2014- Louder than words, Stolen Space, London 2014- Clusterfuck, Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2014- Sex & Death, w/ Will Coles, Art Equity, Sydney 2013- Before Afghanistan, Art Equity, Sydney 2012- Not with it..., Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2011- Look what you made me do...., Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne 2011- This is why we can't have nice things..., Oh really Gallery, Newtown, Sydney 2010- How you like me now Bitch?, Front Gallery, Canberra GROUP SHOWS: 2017- For Syrias Children, fundraising exhibition 2017- Sign of the times, Gold Coast Art Gallery, QLD 2016- Stencil, Next Gallery, Paris 2015- Stencil Master, Urban art festival, Amsterdam 2015- Fine lines, Sydney story factory fundraiser, Sydney 2015- Brave new world, nanda/hobbs, Sydney 2015- Bricks to canvas, Aarwun gallery, Canberra 2015- YourKidCan'tDoThis, Ambush Gallery, Sydney (curator) 2015- Contents Under Pressure - Stencil Art in Australia 2003-2010, Burrinja Gallery, Melbourne: 2015- Public, Perth 2015- First Landing to Last Post, Parliament house, Canberra 2015- Wonderwalls, Port Adelaide 2015- Project 504, Sydney 2014- Public Street art festival, Perth 2014- RightNow, Liechardt, Sydney 2014- ADIDAS Stan Smith show, Melbourne 2013- Sulman prize, Art Gallery of NSW 2012- A cut above 2, Espionage Gallery, Adelaide 2012- Archibald prize, Art Gallery of NSW 2012- E.L.K x ADNATE "killing it", Molecule gallery, Melbourne 2012- Project 5, Sydney 2012- Melbournes burning, Paradise hills, Melbourne 2012- Young guns, Linton and kay, Perth 2012- Climate change, Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2011- Surface Tension, Ambush Gallery, Sydney 2011- All stars show, Espionage gallery, Adelaide 2011- Things to come, Metro Gallery, Melbourne 2011- Facelook portrait show, Dark horse experiment, Melbourne 2011- The new feild, Dark horse experiment, Melbourne 2011- Metro art award, exhibition of finalists, Melbourne 2011- A cut above, Espionage gallery, Adelaide 2011- Sidewayz Art Exhibition, Sydney 2011- up close (colour by numbers), sydney 2011- Expo for Mattia, Naples, Italy 2011- up the bend, Rancho Notorious, Melbourne 2011- Paste up exhibition (ragad art kalliatsis), Hungary 2010- Space Invadas, National Gallery of Australia (merchandise in Giftshop) 2010- Don't push mong, China heights, Surry hills, Sydney 2010- Australian Stencil art Prize, Oh Really gallery, Newtown, Sydney 2010- Don't push mong, Canberra 2010- Pop rocks, Urban Uprising gallery, Sydney 2010- Sweet streets, 1000 pound bend, melbourne 2010- Friends with knives, crewest gallery, Los Angeles 2010- Urban art 10A, BSG, Melbourne 2009- Old Skoolin, Art whino, Washington/Los Angeles 2009- Get Trucked, per square metre, Melbourne 2009- Melbourne Stencil Festival, Melbourne 2009- YourKidCantDoThis, Sydney Show, North Bondi 2009- Urban Art Agenda #3, Ballarat, Melbourne and Brisbane Powerhouse 2009- September, Dirty Pilot Group show, LA, USA 2009- Spin that thing, vinyl show, Famous when dead Gallery, Melbourne 2009- In2change Exhibition, Belconnen Community Centre 2009- YourKidCantDoThis, Melbourne Show 2009- YourKidCantDoThis' Canberra Show, Legislative assembly 2009- "Stencil" Art Whino Group show, National Harbour, MD, USA 2009- Australian Stencil Art prize, Exhibition of finalists (runner up) 2008- Spray 1387, Tehran, Iran 2008- Melbourne Stencil Festival 2008- Cacophony Group show, Manuka 2007- Cacophony Group show, The Front Gallery 2007- M16 Group show, M16, Canberra Publications: 2017- Art Almanac, July 2017 2017- Art edit Magazine, Issue 13 2016- VNA magazine, Issue 33 2015- StreetArt Basel and region, Die hot-spots I'm Dreiländereck (Kai Hendrik Schlusche) 2015- Surface (Søren Solkær) 2014- Planet Banksy (KET) 2013- Street Art Melbourne (Lou Chamberlain) 2012- Stencil Repubic (Olly Walker, Laurence King publishing) 2010- Art monthly Australia (cover) 2008- Art monthly Australia

Awards

2017- Salon de Refusés, SH Ervine Gallery, Sydney (Holding Redlich Peoples Choice Award) 2016- Australian War Memorial, Canberra (acquisition) 2016- Calleen art award, Cowra regional gallery, Finalist 2015- Brisbane Art Prize, Finalist 2015- Deakin small sculpture pize, Finalist 2015- Moreton Bay Regional Art award, Finalist 2015- Calleen art award, Cowra regional gallery, Finalist 2015- Gold Coast Art Gallery, QLD (acquisition) 2014- Black Swan Prize, Finalist 2014- Bond University Collection, QLD 2014- Corrigan Collection 2013- Churchill Fellowship, Awardee 2013- National Portrait Gallery, Canberra (acquisition) 2013- Sulman prize, Finalist 2012- Moran Portrait prize, semi-finalist 2012- Archibald prize, Finalist 2012- Tropfest, shortlisted 2011- Metro Art Prize, Finalist 2010- Australian Stencil Art Prize, Winner 2009- Ballarat Gallery of Modern Art (acquisition) 2009- Australian Stencil art prize, Runner up 2008- Melbourne Stencil Festival, Peoples choice