Janelle lives and works on the unceded, stolen lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and pays her respects to elders past, present and future.

Janelle Low’s practice navigates the intersection of their Peranakan cultural heritage and western upbringing in the deep suburbs of Boorloo (Perth, WA). Working primarily with the photographic image, her ongoing body of work delves into the family archives using multi-layered processes to create a new and different sort of ‘family album’. Often incorporating both image and object, Janelle’s practice reflects on memory, inheritance, and the search for a sense of belonging.

Janelle has exhibited nationally and internationally with her works held in public and private collections. In 2013 she became the youngest winner of the National Photographic Portrait Prize presented by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. Selected as a finalist in the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize in 2017 and 2022, Janelle was the second recipient of the Wai Tang Commissioning Award presented by the Museum of Australian Photography in 2023.

CV

Born Boorloo (Perth), WA
Lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne), VIC

Selected Exhibitions

2023 – I Did Not Know How Far I Would Carry The Broken Pieces of Our Trust (solo show), Museum of Australian Photography, VIC
2023 – ORBIT (group show), This Is No Fantasy, VIC
2023 – Peonies, Still Life & a Duck (group show), Counihan Gallery, VIC
2023 – Portrait23: Identity (collaborative group show), National Portrait Gallery, ACT
2022 – Familial (group show), Divisions Gallery, VIC
2022 – Risographomania (group show), Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, QLD
2021 – I Don’t See Myself (solo show), THIS IS NO FANTASY, VIC
2021 – Disobedient Daughters (group show), Counihan Gallery, VIC
2019 – Negative Press: Decade (group show), Negative Press, VIC
2019 – FEM-aFFINITY (collaborative group show), Arts Project Australia, VIC
2019 – The Four Letter Word (group show), Artbank, NSW
2019 – Sights Unseen: Recent Acquisitions from the Merri-Bek Art Collection, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2019 – Between Two Worlds (group show), Newcastle Art Gallery, NSW
2019 – I Want To Know You Better (collaborative show), Ballarat Biennale Outdoor Program, VIC
2018 – The Family Mantle (group show), Bundoora Homestead, VIC
2018 – The Many Faces of Mecca (campaign), Bourke Street MYER windows, VIC
2018 – VISIBLE (curator), The Artists Guild, VIC
2018 – Disobedient Daughters (group show), Metro Arts, NSW
2018 – Degrees of Separation (group show), c3 Gallery, VIC
2017 – Women for Women: Making Space (salon show), The Artists Guild, VIC
2017 – Chinese Whispers & Other Stories (group show), Photo Access, ACT & Blindside Gallery, VIC
2016 – Landmarks (group show), Counihan Gallery, VIC
2016 – Bakehouse Art Project (paste-up), Bakehouse Studios, VIC
2015 – Head On Portrait Prize at Photoville Festival, NYC
2014 – Blonde-Haired Blue-Eyed Nothing (solo show), dianne tanzer gallery + projects, VIC
2014 – Astray (group show), Chasm Gallery, Bushwick, NYC
2014 – Semblance (group show), THIS IS NO FANTASY + dianne tanzer gallery, VIC
2012 & 2014 – Moreland Summer Show, Counihan Gallery, VIC

Awards & Residencies

2023 – Finalist, Incinerator Art Award, Incinerator Gallery, VIC
2022 – Winner, Wai Tang Commissioning Award, Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
2022 – Finalist, William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize, Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
2019 – Winner (Peers Choice Award), Noel Counihan Commemorative Art Award, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2017 – Finalist, William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize, Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
2017 – Finalist, Noel Counihan Commemorative Art Award, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2015 – Finalist, LensCulture Portrait Prize
2015 – Finalist, Head On Festival Portrait Prize, Museum of Sydney, NSW
2013/14 – Graduate in Residence, presented by RMITs Diploma of Photoimaging, VIC
2013 – Winner, National Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, ACT
2013 – Finalist, Head On Festival Portrait Prize, State Library of NSW

Selected Talks & Public Programs

2023 – panel talk, Interrupting The Photographic Gaze, Centre for Contemporary Photography, VIC
2022 – judge, Capturing Culture, Victoria Multicultural Commission, VIC
2021 – podcast feature, Art Guide Australia, AU
2021 – panel talk, Disobedient Daughters, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2021 – artist talk, Photography Studies College, VIC
2020 – artist talk, FEM-aFFINITY, Devonport Regional Gallery, TAS
2019 – interview, The Art Show, ABC Radio National, AU
2019 – artist talk, Sights Unseen: Recent Acquisitions from the Moreland Art Collection, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2018 – artist talk, The Family Mantle, Bundoora Homestead, VIC
2018 – panellist, Emerging to Established, Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
2017 – artist talk, William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize, Monash Gallery of Art, VIC
2017 – artist talk, Chinese Whispers and Other Stories, Blindside Gallery, VIC
2016 – workshop, Artists Workshop for Kids, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2016 – artist talk, Landmarks, Counihan Gallery, VIC
2013 – judge, 1233 Portrait Prize for ABC Newcastle, NSW
2013 – portrait workshop, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, NSW
2013 – artist talk, Diploma of Photoimaging Graduate in Residence, RMIT University, VIC

Collections

Museum of Australian Photography, Merri-Bek Art Collection, Newcastle Art Collection & various private collections

Teaching Positions

2021 –  ongoing teacher, Visual Arts, RMIT University (VE)
2011 to 2020 – sessional teacher across various programs and departments for RMIT University (VE)

Education

2019 – Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art), RMIT University
2010 – Diploma of Photoimaging, RMIT University