Natasha Bieniek's guest appearances

Natasha Bieniek

Talking with Painters

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

Euan Macleod

Katherine Hattam

Mae Martin

Lewis Miller

William Robinson

Tim Allen

Justin Williams

Nicole Kelly

Laura Jones

Vipoo Srivilasa

Alan Jones

Deborah Kelly

David Griggs

Daniel Boyd

Tom Polo

OwlTail

Natasha Bieniek’s works shrink the everyday down into microcosms. Her tiniest paintings are only 4 x 5 centimetres. Natasha talks about how she is reviving the tradition of miniature painting and why she has shifted from portraiture to landscape painting.A conversation with MPRG curator Danny Lacy.Our 2018 podcast program is supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation.Introduction by Nathan Schroeder, Music courtesy of The Basics

Natasha Bieniek’s works shrink the everyday down into microcosms. Her tiniest paintings are only 4 x 5 centimetres. Natasha talks about how she is reviving the tradition of miniature painting and why she has shifted from portraiture to landscape painting. A conversation with MPRG curator Danny Lacy. Our 2018 podcast program is supported by the Gordon Darling Foundation. Introduction by Nathan Schroeder, Music courtesy of The Basics

Natasha Bieniek - Reviving miniature painting

At only 32 years of age, Natasha Bieniek has been awarded the Wynne prize for landscape painting, the Portia Geach Memorial award for portrait painting and the Metro art award, has been a five time finalist in the Archibald prize, a three time finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait prize and has been shortlisted in many others. Impressive as that is, what’s more amazing about Bieniek’s work is its size. Her winning Wynne prize painting ‘Biophilia’ was only 9cm square and her portrait of Wendy Whiteley, which was highly commended by the trustees in the 2016 Archibald prize, is only  13.5cm x 18.5cm. She is without doubt a master of the miniature. Bieniek has exhibited in six solo shows, across Australia and overseas, and in many group shows. The National Portrait Gallery held an exhibition in 2014, ‘In the Flesh’, where 14 of her miniature portraits were included, borrowed from private collections. In our conversation, Bieniek reveals how it was not all smooth sailing at the beginning and talks about how nature in the urban environment has inspired her work. She also provides details about her process which reveal the intensive labour involved in creating her exquisite paintings. To hear Maria Stoljar’s conversation with Natasha Bieniek press ‘play’ above and scroll down to see the works they talk about on the podcast Video of Natasha Bieniek in her studio can be seen on YouTube here Upcoming events  Sydney Contemporary, Sydney, as part of a group show curated by Dianne Tanzer and This Is No Fantasy  – September 2017  Links to things and people we talk about on the show  Natasha Bieniek at This is No Fantasy + Dianne Tanzer Gallery Natasha Bieniek at Jan Murphy Gallery Natasha Bieniek on Instagram Victoria Reichelt Wynne Prize Portia Geach Memorial Award Archibald Prize Michael Brand Wendy Whiteley Wendy Whiteley and the Secret Garden by Janet Hawley Brett Whiteley Natasha Bieniek talks with Maria Stoljar in her studio on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel (below)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y17eJu-IKEk ‘Wendy Whiteley’, 2016, oil on wood, 13.5 x 18.5cm, finalist Archibald prize 2016 Detail of ‘Wendy Whiteley’ ‘Biophilia’, 2015, oil on dibond, 9 x 9cm, winner of Wynne prize 2015 ‘Sahara’ 2014, oil on wood, 13.5 x 18.5cm, winner of Portia Geach Memorial Award 2015 ‘Jennifer (St Columba Falls, Pyengana)’, 2017, oil on dibond, 9 x 14cm ‘Eleanor’, 2015, oil on dibond, 9 x 9cm ‘Gardenia’, 2014, oil on wood, 6 x 8cm ‘Kumiko’ 2016, oil on dibond, 9 x 14cm

<h4>At only 32 years of age, Natasha Bieniek has been awarded the Wynne prize for landscape painting, the Portia Geach Memorial award for portrait painting and the Metro art award, has been a five time finalist in the Archibald prize, a three time finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait prize and has been shortlisted in many others.</h4> Impressive as that is, what’s more amazing about Bieniek’s work is its size. Her winning Wynne prize painting ‘Biophilia’ was only 9cm square and her portrait of Wendy Whiteley, which was highly commended by the trustees in the 2016 Archibald prize, is only  13.5cm x 18.5cm. She is without doubt a master of the miniature. Bieniek has exhibited in six solo shows, across Australia and overseas, and in many group shows. The National Portrait Gallery held an exhibition in 2014, ‘In the Flesh’, where 14 of her miniature portraits were included, borrowed from private collections. In our conversation, Bieniek reveals how it was not all smooth sailing at the beginning and talks about how nature in the urban environment has inspired her work. She also provides details about her process which reveal the intensive labour involved in creating her exquisite paintings. To hear Maria Stoljar’s conversation with Natasha Bieniek press ‘play’ above and scroll down to see the works they talk about on the podcast Video of Natasha Bieniek in her studio can be seen on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y17eJu-IKEk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube here</a> <h4>Upcoming events</h4> <ul> <li><a href="https://sydneycontemporary.com.au" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sydney Contemporary</a>, Sydney, as part of a group show curated by <a href="http://thisisnofantasy.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dianne Tanzer and This Is No Fantasy </a> – September 2017</li> </ul> <h4>Links to things and people we talk about on the show</h4> <ul> <li><a href="http://thisisnofantasy.com/artist/natasha-bieniek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Natasha Bieniek at This is No Fantasy + Dianne Tanzer Gallery</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.janmurphygallery.com.au/artist/natasha-bieniek/selected-works/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Natasha Bieniek at Jan Murphy Gallery</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/natashabieniek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Natasha Bieniek on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="http://thisisnofantasy.com/artist/victoria-reichelt/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria Reichelt</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/wynne/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wynne Prize</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.shervingallery.com.au/whats-on/past-exhibitions/item/122-portiageach2015" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Portia Geach Memorial Award</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Archibald Prize</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/about-us/people/agnsw-executive/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Brand</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Whiteley" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wendy Whiteley</a></li> <li><a href="https://penguin.com.au/books/wendy-whiteley-and-the-secret-garden-9781921383939" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wendy Whiteley and the Secret Garden by Janet Hawley</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brett_Whiteley" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brett Whiteley</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y17eJu-IKEk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Natasha Bieniek talks with Maria Stoljar in her studio on the Talking with Painters YouTube channel (below)</a></li> </ul> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y17eJu-IKEk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y17eJu-IKEk</a> ‘Wendy Whiteley’, 2016, oil on wood, 13.5 x 18.5cm, finalist Archibald prize 2016 Detail of ‘Wendy Whiteley’ ‘Biophilia’, 2015, oil on dibond, 9 x 9cm, winner of Wynne prize 2015 ‘Sahara’ 2014, oil on wood, 13.5 x 18.5cm, winner of Portia Geach Memorial Award 2015 ‘Jennifer (St Columba Falls, Pyengana)’, 2017, oil on dibond, 9 x 14cm ‘Eleanor’, 2015, oil on dibond, 9 x 9cm ‘Gardenia’, 2014, oil on wood, 6 x 8cm ‘Kumiko’ 2016, oil on dibond, 9 x 14cm

Ep 25: Natasha Bieniek