Looking at the landscape paintings of Natasha Bieniek, we are immediately at ease with the solo, contemporary viewpoint of the world with which we are presented; a tight and rectangular composition of our surrounds in photographic detail on a shiny surface...with a border. All captured in the centuries old tradition of oil painting, these meticulously painted scenes are bursting with lush, dense gardens with a variety of different shapes and textures you want to touch and embrace, to reach beyond the containment of a screen and experience the outside world…IRL.

‘Many dualities exist within my artworks. I’m concerned with the importance of first-hand experiences but also want to consider our image-driven tendencies. My paintings are traditional yet rely on modern working methods. And I have an ongoing interest in combining the natural world with the human-made. My intention is to create a moment to reflect and connect with nature through a present-day lens.’ – Natasha Bieniek, 2023

Natasha Bieniek graduated from VCA in 2006 and received the post-graduate Nino Sanciolo Art Scholarship to study ancient painting in Florence, Italy. Her 2016 Archibald Prize portrait of Wendy Whiteley was named highly commended and toured Nationally in ‘Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize’ and she has been the recipient of many major art prizes around Australia including The Wynne Prize (2015), The Portia Geach Memorial Award (2015) and The Metro Art Award (2012).

Over the past 15 years, she has also been a finalist in many significant art prizes including the Archibald Prize (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), The Wynne Prize (2020), The Darling Portrait Prize (2020), The Arthur Guy Memorial Prize (2019), The Bayside Art Prize (2019), Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (2018), The John Leslie Art Prize (2018), The Glover Prize (2017), Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2015) and The Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).