About the Artist

Artist Statement

Victoria's paintings portray everyday objects in exquisite jewel like quality. She uses symbolism to convey meaning. Without context the objects she uses are neutral. It is in the Juxtapositions that they become charged with ambiguity, and meaning begins to surface. This symbolism become activated when presented in a work of art. For instance an apple on a supermarket shelf is just food. Take that same apple and place it on a teacher’s desk, in the hand of Eve, on the chest of a corpse, or stab it with forks and it becomes charged with meaning relative to its setting.

 

Her works are often either self-portraits or commentary on the world as she has observed it. She use obsessively collected objects that form a kind of map of her psyche as well as a fragment of the collective subconscious of all humanity. They are struggles to find meaning as well as statements of meaning found.

 

Instead of saying this is how it is, she present to the viewer a narrative. She aims to highlight the spectacular in the mundane and gives the viewer clues to interpretation. People already have archetypes hard wired into them, they are being put into motion here, in a movement of ideas from the viewer’s subconscious to their conscious.

 

There is an interaction of relationship, or lack thereof, between the artist, the objects, the support and the viewer.

 

She currently works primarily on maps and other interesting supports. These communicate the collective community of humanity. It is an act of taking ownership of the world we all inhabit. Maps give a sense of place. We all share a common humanity. We all have a place we call home, how far that extends is up to us.

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Education and Further Studies

2015 Peer Mentorship under Rhett Martyn and Jessica Webster

 

2008-2014 Studied under the guidance of Joy Heyneke

 

2003 First year Fine Art at The University of the Witwatisrand, South Africa. studied under Walter Oltman, Clive van den Berg, Karel Nell, Jo Ratcliffe, Gerhard Marx, Stephan Erasmus, and Alan Crump

 

 

Significant Awards

 

2013 Finalist Thami Mnyele Fine art award.

 

2014 Merit award, Long street art lovers 1932

 

2015 Finalist, Long street art lovers 1932

 

2024 First Place Penrith Show best hand built ceramic work.

 

2024 Encouragement award Blue mountains Art Prize. 

 

 

Selected exhibitions

2024 Sydney Affordable Art Fair

 

2024 Brisbane Affordable Art Fair

 

2017 The Paragon Gallery. Edenborough Art Fair, United Kingdom

 

2017 The Gardens Gallery, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

 

2015 Solo, Long Street Art Lovers 1932, South Africa

 

2015 ABC’s of life, Long Street Art Lovers, Pretoria, South Africa

Blind collaboration with Danielle Janse van Rensburg, Long street art lovers, Pretoria Year of the goat, Long street art lovers, Pretoria

For the love of art competition, Long street art lovers. Finaliat.

Pretoria Rotary art festival, Hyde park corner, South Africa

 

2014 For the love of art competition, Long street art lovers, Pretoria, South Africa - Finalist

Rotary art festival, Hyde Park corner, South Africa

Paint and Palette exhibition, Melrose Arch 2013, South Africa

Montage, Carol Lee Fine Art, Upstairs@Bamboo, South Africa

Paint and palette, Melrose Arch, South Africa

 

2012 Edmore Art gallery, South Africa

Addicted to art, with Marina Blight, Dalila de Matos and Joy Heyneke, South Africa

 

2011 Facets, Marist Brothers College, Linmeyer, South Africa

 

2008 Juxtaposed, Alette Wessels kuns kamer, South Africa

 

 

Projects and Commissions

 

2011 Assisted Richard John Forbes with the construction of the sculpture A.R.C, exhibited at the Johannesburg Art Gallery

 

2014 IT mag’s Brainstorm calendar 2015. Artwork for Neotel.

 

 

Art Groups and Associations

 

2009 - 2017  Paint and palette group, Committee member – Events and Exhibitions, Honorary life member.

 

2013 - 2015 Figures and forms life drawing group.

 

2016 - 2019 Cheltenham art club

 

2023 - Present Nepean Potters Society, Comittee member - finance

 

 

Past Gallery Representation

 

Longstreet Art lovers 1932, Pretoria, South Africa

 

The Paragon, Cheltenham, United Kingdom.

 

Gallery One88, Katoomba, New south Wales, Australia

 

Present Gallery Representation

 

Gallery NWC, Katoomba, New south Wales, Australia

 

History

 

Victoria Stiff started her career under the name Vicky Riley, Victoria has been producing art under her maiden name of Stiff since 2014.