ARTIST STATEMENT /
CREATIVE PRACTICE INTEREST
I explore the souvenir as a vehicle for care and witnessing rather than conquest. My work engages with materials collected from the environment, like wild clay, as well as industrially manufactured materials, each carrying traces of past labor, ecological contexts, and cultural entanglements.
By translating sketches, observations, and words into layered material forms, I create objects that record attention to place and people, offering viewers a space to encounter the emotional and historical dimensions embedded in materials. Abstraction, in this context, reflects the fragmented, layered nature of connection itself, memory, longing, and displacement.
Material research and process are central to my practice. I critically engage with the Anthropocene, histories of extraction, and postcolonial theory, reflecting on my own positionality as an artist working with extracted materials embedded with these legacies. Collecting wild clay, experimenting with glaze chemistry, and integrating textiles raise questions of ethical extraction, environmental impact, and responsibility to the indigenous communities and lands involved. Through these processes, I interrogate the properties of materials while considering the social and conceptual narratives they carry. These concerns resonate with broader contemporary questions of resource use, sustainability, the environment, and the legacies of extraction, positioning studio practice as a form of research that is both critical and generative.
Through this research, I seek to advance contemporary discourse on material histories, abstraction, and place-based artmaking. My work investigates the tension between desire and responsibility, connection and displacement, and the ethical and aesthetic implications of our material choices. I am committed to creating work that holds space for both beauty and critical reflection, offering viewers a means to engage with complex histories and contemporary social and environmental concerns.
CV
Education
Currently - 2026 - Master of Fine Art - Visual Arts. Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A.
2023 - Graduate Diploma of Fine Art - Drawing. National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
2022 - Bachelor of Fine Art - Ceramics. National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
2001 - Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design. Enmore Design Centre, Sydney, Australia.
1998 - Design Fundamentals. Enmore Design Centre, Sydney, Australia.
Higher School Certificate. St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, Australia.
Related Education
2024 - Wiki Scholars Program. Wiki Education in partnership with the American Association for State and Local History, Idaho, U.S.A.
2022 - Master Glaze Course with Greg Daly. Sturt Gallery, Mittagong, Australia.
2021 - Etching Short Course with Angus Fisher. National Art School, Australia.
2020 - Painting Short Course with Les Rice. National Art School, Australia.
Education Honors
Inducted 2024 - Phi Kappa Phi.
All-discipline collegiate honor society. Boise State University Chapter, Idaho, U.S.A.
Teacher of Record / Adjunct*
2026 - Art 109 Foundations Drawing. Boise State University, U.S.A.
2026 - Art 225 Foundations Ceramics Summer Course*. Boise State University, U.S.A.
2024 – 2026 - Art 225 Foundations Ceramics, Boise State University, U.S.A.
2025 - Art 225 / 325/ 425 Foundations + Upper Division Ceramics Summer Course*. Boise State University, U.S.A.
Teaching Assistant
2023 – 2024
Art 107 Foundations I - intro to 2-D Art.
Art 108 Foundations II - intro to 3-D Art.
Art 325 / 425 Upper Division - Ceramics Art 225 Foundations - Ceramics
Boise State University, U.S.A.
Drawing on Clay / Drawing with Clay, Short Course. Teaching assistant to Stephen Bird. Margaret Olley Drawing Week. National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
2022 – Masters Assistant to Robert Barron. Gulgong Ceramics Conference, New South Wales, Australia.
Throwing Short Course.
National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
Solo Exhibitions
July 4 - July 28, 2024 - The Denouement - Drawing Together the Strands of Grief. Draw Space, Enmore, Australia.
2010 - The Seedy Underworld of Subculture and Sex by Numbers. Urban Uprising Gallery, Darlinghurst, Australia.
2009 - Stop Putting Me Down / I Am Bigger Because I Have You. Military School Teuliè, Milan, Italy.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 - Patience in Practice. Tiliqua Tiliqua, Enmore, Australia.
Fables and Folklore. Craft Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. November 16, 2024 - January 25, 2025.
LIBRE: art of being. Gallery LNL, Sydney, Australia. February 14, 2025 - March 22, 2025. More info click here
QUEER DRAWING. Draw Space, Sydney, Australia. February 6, 2025 - March 2, 2025. More info click here
2024 - Contemporary Coping. The Neri Gallery, Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A. November 16 - November 19, 2024.
Strange Landscapes. The Blue Galleries & The Stein Luminary, Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A. August 23 - October 31, 2024.
AI Studios x Treefort. AI Studios Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.
As Of Late. Australian Galleries, Paddington, Australia.
Graduate Student Showcase. Fine Arts Gallery, Student Union Building, Boise State University, U.S.A.
Annual Student Juried Exhibition - Curated by Emily Somoskey. Blue Galleries, Boise State University, U.S.A.
2023 - DAYDREAMS - MFA Exhibition Online, Annual Exhibition of MFA Artwork for National and International Graduate Students, The University of Montana, Missoula, U.S.A.
CONNECT / FRAGMENT. NERI Gallery, Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A.
PostGrad Exhibition, National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
A Fresh Perspective. Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Newtown, Sydney, Australia.
PRAXIS - Drawing MFA Exhibition. National Art School Stairwell Gallery, Australia.
Drawing Week Exhibition. Rayner Hoff Space, National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
2022 - National Emerging Art Prize - Ceramics. Michael Reid Gallery, Australia.
Emerging World Stage Exhibition. Gulgong Ceramics Conference, Australia.
Natural Haptics, Ceramics. National Art School Stairwell Gallery, Australia.
Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduation Exhibition, Ceramics + Drawing. National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
2021 - Drawing Week Exhibition. Rayner Hoff Space, National Art School, Sydney, Australia.
Blue Mountains Print Prize. Lapstone, Sydney.
2020 - Springwood Art Show. Blue Mountains, Australia.
2015, Summer Camp - Queer Art Exhibition. Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, Australia.
2014 - Summer Camp - Queer Art Exhibition. Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, Australia.
2013 - Summer Camp - Queer Art Exhibition. Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, Australia. Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, Australia.
2012 - Art Equity Pop Up Gallery. Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia.
Melbourne Art Fair. Art Equity Upraw Collection, Melbourne, Australia.
2011 - Art Expo Sydney. Art Equity Upraw Collection, Sydney, Australia.
Mardi Gras Gallery. Urban Uprising, Sydney, Australia.
Saddle Bar Art Residency. Surry Hills, Australia.
Fragility. International Day Against Homophobia Exhibition, Pine Street Gallery, Surry Hills, Australia.
2010 - Move It! Wallraf Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany.
Mardi Gras Gallery. Tap Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
Awards / Prizes
2024 - Juror’s Award. Annual Student Juried Exhibition, Selected by artist Emily Somoskey - Blue Galleries, Boise State University, U.S.A.
2023 - Finalist. DAYDREAMS - MFA Exhibition Online, Annual Exhibition of MFA Artwork for National and International Graduate Students - Painting. The University of Montana, Missoula, U.S.A.
Graduate Assistantship - Academic Scholarship, Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A.
2022 - Australian Galleries Exhibition Award,
BFA Graduate Show 2022, National Art School, Australia
Australian Ceramics Association Prize,
BFA Graduate Show 2022, National Art School, Australia
Finalist. National Emerging Art Prize - Ceramics. Michael Reid Gallery, Australia.
Finalist. Emerging World Stage Exhibition. Gulgong Ceramics Conference, Australia.
2001 - Ken Cato New York Scholarship AGIdeas Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
2000, 1999 - Mosman Youth Art Prize - Painting. Highly Commended. Mosman Art Gallery, Mosman, Australia.
Artist Panel / Artist Talk
2025 - Presence in Practice - Artist panel discussion with artists, Olivia Arnold, Eve Bracewell, Scott Elk, Amanda Mahony in conversation with Susie Dureau - Tiliqua Tiliqua Gallery, Enmore, Australia.
2024 - AI Studios x Treefort - Artist Panel Discussion with artists Jen Alvi, Scott Elk, Benjamin Hunt, and Willow Wells in conversation with Kevin Ambrose Gray - AI Studios Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.
Exhibition Artist Talk - The Denouement - Drawing Together the Strands of Grief. Draw Space, Enmore, Australia.
Exhibition Curation
2024 - Strange Landscapes - A survey exhibition of artists exploring landscapes from art schools across Australia and America. The Blue Galleries & The Stein Luminary, Boise State University, Idaho, U.S.A.
2024 - PRAXIS - An exhibition of artists studying their master of fine art with a drawing focus. National Art School Stairwell Gallery, Australia.
2015 / 2014 / 2013 - Summer Camp - An annual series of queer art exhibitions in collaboration with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival and Sydney Art Week. Scott Elk in exhibition with (2015); Andrew Georgiou, Jeremy Lord, SKULK, Lynnea Stewart, Russell Tate. (2014); Luke Atkinson, Mark Coker, Mulga the Artist. (2013); William Yang, Florence Broadhurst, Bondi Pavilion, Sydney, Australia.
PRESS
THE ARTBLOG.ORG, USA, 6 March 2010.
Written by Stefan Zebrowski-Rubin
Review of the Bingo v.2.0 exhibition
Urban Uprising, Darlinghurst. Sydney.
You can read the full review here
SX MAGAZINE , SYDNEY AUSTRALIA. 17 February, 2010
Written by Garrett Bithell. EXCERPT:
BIKKEMBERGS PRESS RELEASE FOR THEIR
SPRING/SUMMER COLLECTION 2010,
25 June 2009. MILAN, ITALY. Written by Inge Piryns.
This is an excerpt from the ACCOMPANYING
DOCUMENT / ABOUT THE ARTIST
EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY
Scott Elk is an artist, educator, and curator from Sydney Australia, exploring the world through ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, and sound.
With a background in visual arts, Scott’s disillusionment with the commercialisation of his creative energy pushed him to make the decision to pursue art full time, wishing to use his powers for good, working on art and projects personally driven, and causes he believes in.
The various mediums Scott uses in his artwork has guided his foray into professional work experience, as well as pursuing tertiary education and teaching at some of the world’s leading art institutions with the sole intention of expanding his learning as a student to better produce artwork.
Often working in series, Scott’s personal exploration of a subject crosses disciplines to help tell a story. The long hours spent honing his craft is evident in the technical proficiency of his chosen mediums, with artworks in a series, pieces in a much bigger puzzle. The stories are often personal recollections and moments of intense emotions that have inspired Scott to pick up a pen or a stick of charcoal, to scribble some words or pictures to start his observations. It’s this concept driven aspect that injects Scott’s work with the passion of someone speaking with enthusiasm and curiosity about life. Undeniably interested in the materiality of his mediums, Scott’s work plays in this space like a kid with all the crayons in the pack, using every colour to speak about his love.