About

Todd Simpson is a Melbourne-based realist painter whose work explores observation, belonging and the human relationship to place. Working primarily with airbrushed acrylic, his recent practice has focused on two interconnected bodies of work: immersive studies of the Australian bush and narrative paintings featuring solitary astronaut figures as metaphors for contemporary disconnection.

AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS AND RESIDENCIES

• Residency – Salamanca Art Centre, Hobart, TAS, Australia
• Finalist – National Emerging Art Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award & Highly Commended – Clayton Utz Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Paddington Art Prize, Sydney NSW, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award – Calleen Art Award, Cowra, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Group Exhibition – The Figure, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Winner Student’s Choice Award – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Highly Commended – Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Gallipoli Art Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Ripper Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award – Glover Prize, Evandale, TAS, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Fresh Perspectives, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

• Group Exhibition – Christmas Exhibition, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Redland Art Awards, Cleveland, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Basil Sellers Art Prize, Moruya, NSW, Australia
• Group Exhibition – The Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Calleen Art Award, Cowra, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
• Finalist – University of Southern Queensland Biennial Art Award, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Glover Prize, Evandale, TAS, Australia
• Finalist – Blacktown City Art Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia

2023

• Winner – Curator’s Choice, APC Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
• Group Exhibition – The Affordable Art Fair, Melbourne VIC, Australia
• Solo Exhibition – The Other Art Fair, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Rising Realism, Bluethumb Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2022

• Finalist – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Artists to Watch, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – National Capital Art Prize, Canberra, ACT, Australia
• Finalist – Lethbridge 20000 Art Award, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Omnia Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Percival Portrait Prize, Townsville, QLD, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Art and Gender, Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2021

• Runner-up – Bluethumb Art Prize (Sculpture Award), Australia
• Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Bluethumb Art Prize Winners, Sydney, NSW, Australia

2020

• Winner People’s Choice Award – Bluethumb Art Prize, Australia
• Finalist – Darling Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT, Australia
• Highly Commended – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand

2019

• Solo Exhibition – A Matter of Perspective, Bini Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award – Hidden Faces – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Marvellous Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2018

• Winner People’s Choice Award – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia
• Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Kennedy Art Prize, Adelaide, SA, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award – Hidden Faces – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Abstraction TwentyEighteen, Justin Art House Museum, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand

2017

• Winner – Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Myself Self Portrait Prize, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Finalist – Yering Station Sculpture Awards, Yarra Valley, VIC, Australia
• Winner Small Sculpture Prize – Albert Park College Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Runner-up – St John’s Art Prize, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Flanagan Art Prize, Ballarat, VIC, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Peculiar Portraits Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Who’s Looking at You? Portrait Award, Cambridge Studio Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

2016

• Finalist – Yering Station Sculpture Awards, Yarra Valley, VIC, Australia
• Winner Acquisitive Prize – Albert Park College Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – John Copes Portrait Prize, Bowral, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
• Winner People’s Choice Award – Victorian Salon des Refuses, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Group Exhibition – Self Portraiture, BSG Gallery, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Honourable Mention Award – Brunswick Street Gallery Small Works Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia

2015

• Honorable Mention Award – Brunswick Street Gallery 40 x 40 Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Finalist – The M Collection Award, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Finalist – Royal South Australian Society of Arts Portrait Prize, Adelaide, SA, Australia
• Highly Commended Award – Camberwell Art Show, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
• Semi-Finalist – BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2014

• Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
• Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Perth, WA, Australia

2013

• Finalist – Black Swan Portraiture Prize, Perth, WA, Australia

2012

• Finalist – Adam Portraiture Award, New Zealand National Portrait Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
• Finalist – Shirley Hannan National Portrait Award, Bega, NSW, Australia
• Semi-finalist – Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney, NSW, Australia