Profile
Filippa Buttitta owns and operates ‘Twiverton Gallery’. Her interest in portraiture began from an early age and she began to paint intuitively prior to engaging in study at various art colleges and universities.
Buttitta’s portrayals of many Australians are visual explorations of cultural identity and interpret a time, place and perspective in Australian socio-cultural and iconic history. Her ‘Rags to Riches’, ‘Fragments of a Photograph’ and ‘Triggers of Memory – Fragmented Preservations of Cultural Identity’ series identify un-institutionalised forms of cultural identity that have emerged from Australian immigration and include observations of her Italian heritage. These series of works span over 3 decades and have led to two thesis papers which academically explore new forms of cultural identity emerging in Australia.
Buttitta’s most recent pursuit is exploring the ‘Lost Child in the Bush’ trope as a potent and iconic Australian cultural theme. Using her own daughter as the figure of the lost child in the bush, Buttitta re-awakens an ongoing Australian anxiety and re-imagines it not only as female contemporary artist but also as a mother (a pursuit that has not widely been pursued by historical female artists before nor canonised as such in Australian art history)
Buttitta has been a finalist in numerous awards including the Archibald’s Salon de Refuses, The Portia Geach Memorial award, The Mosman Art Prize, The Hunters Hill Art Prize, The Fisher Ghost Art Prize and the Doug Moran National Portrait Art Prize.
WORKSHOPS: Buttitta also has qualifications and experience in teaching art and is available for portrait art workshops for both adults and children.
WEBSITE: www.buttittaart.com
Education
Master of Fine Art, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
Master of Art, College of Fine Arts, UNSW
Bachelor of Visual Arts, Sydney College of the Arts
Diploma of Education, SydneyUniversity
Associate Diploma in Expressive and Performing Arts (with Distinction), UNSW.
Solo Exhibitions
2014 ‘Lost Child in the Bush’, Fairview Artspace, Mudgee, NSW
2014 ‘Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham Sydney
2013 Retrospective – The Fringe Festival, Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham, Sydney
2013 Ordinary and Well Known Australians, Newtown Library, Newtown
2013 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2012 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2011 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2011 Italo-Australians, Comune di Sicilia, Enna, Italy
2010 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2009 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2008 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2007 Twiverton Gallery, Lewisham. Sydney
2002 Triggers of Memory – Ivan Dougherty Gallery, Paddington. Sydney
Filippa Buttitta at the 2014 Portia Geach Memorial Award.
Group Exhibitions
2014 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill, Sydney
2014 Australians at Work, The Victorian Arts Society, Melbourne
2014 25 Years, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst
2014 The Hunters Hill Art Prize
2014 Mixed Metaphors of Easter, TFR Art Gallery, Petersham
2014 Rags to Riches, FRAG Art Gallery, Petersham
2013 The Fracking Redundance Art Gallery (FRAG) Opening, Petersham
2013 The Greenway Exhibition, Art Est, Leichhardt
2013 Fisher Ghost Art Prize, Campbelltown
2013 31 Days – Blur the Lines, Gallery Red, Glebe
2013 The Tutor Salon Exhibition – Art Est, Leichhardt
2013 Mosman Art Prize, Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman
2013 Multi-Cultural Australia, Parliament House, Sydney
2012 ‘Innovators’, Federal Parliament House, Canberra.
2012 The Greenway Exhibition, Art EST, Leichhardt.
2012 Spirit Life in Marrickville, Seview Gallery, Dulwich Hill.
2012 The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney.
2012 Portrait Artists Australia, The Artists’ Book Launch, Art House, Sydney.
2011 The Face of Australia, Parliament House, Sydney.
2011 Finalist – The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2010 Finalist The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2009 finalist -The Portia Geach Memorial Award, SH Ervin Gallery. The Rocks, Sydney.
2008 Real Refuses, Tap Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney.
2007 A Little Bit of Italy, Katherine Vale Vineyard, Hunter Valley.
2007 Archibald Salon des Refuses, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney
2006 Artists on Norton – Parliament House, Sydney
2005 Highlights of Art di Ritorno – Norton Street, Leichhardt
2004 Art di Ritorno (Art that Returns) – Biblioteca Berio Galleria, Genova, Italy
2003 Fortune – Side on Gallery. Annandale
2005 Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
2004 Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
2003 Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
2002 Artists on Norton Exhibiton – Leichhardt
2001 Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
2000 Artists on Norton Exhibiton – Leichhardt
1999 Past-Ur-Rise, Paddington
1999 Artists on Norton Exhibition – Leichhardt
1998 Uncommon Masters, COFA Gallery
1995 Young Italo-Australian Artist Awards Finalist Exhibition, Rozelle
1995 ‘Sfumato’ – YZ Gallery, Kingswood
1994 ‘Sfumato’ – YZ Gallery, UNSW
1994 Small Screen/Big Picture – Bondi Pavillion Gallery, Bondi Beach
1994 ‘Australica’ – Bondi Pavallion Gallery, Bondi Beach
1993 Past-Presence – University of NSW
1993 MA Exhibition, COFA Gallery
1992 Home and Away – Ritchies Contemporary Gallery, New Zealand
1992 Exit – SCA, Balmain
1990 Neon Ethnic – The Foundry, Leichhardt
1991 Artychoked – SCA, Balmain
1990 Neon Ethnic – The Foundry, Leichardt
1990 Union Exhibition – Sydney University
1989 Art, Design & Fibre Exhibition, SCAE, Oatley
1988 National Bicentennial Conference Exhibition, Sydney Bicentennial Authority
1988 Expressive & Performing Arts Exhibition, SCAE, Oatley
1987 Intech Exhibition, Sydney, Newcastle & Orange
1981 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Exhibition
1980 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Exhibition
Awards
1995 Italian Institute of Culture ‘Young Italo-Australian Award’ finalist prize.
2004 Artists on Norton Art Prize for painting
2002 Artists on Norton Art Prize for painting
1995 Italian Institute of Culture ‘Young Italo-Australian Award’ finalist prize.
1980 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Prize – First Prize
1981 Ashfield Municipal Council Art Prize – Second Prize
Study Sabbaticals-Research
2011 Study & Research of ‘women’ artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods in Italy.
2004 Study of Italian Florentine, Renaissance and Baroque painting across Italy.
2002 ‘Triggers of Memory: Fragmented Preservations of Cultural Identity’, Thesis, COFA, UNSW.
1993 ‘Fragments of a Photograph’, Thesis, COFA, UNSW.
1994 ‘A History of The Lost Child in the Bush’, essay, COFA, UNSW.
Commissions
Buttitta’s work is included in private collections in Italy, England, Belgium, China, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Filippa Buttitta 2011 PAA exhibition Canberra