about 

Shanrah Austin is a Melbourne-based artist, her practice incorporates sculpture, installation, textiles, and video. Her work draw stimulus from sideshow culture, medical archives and film. Shanrah’s work explores the human anomaly, highlighting the abject and the obscurity of escaping the normalised body.

Since graduating with a BFA (Honours) in 2012 at RMIT University, she has been the recipient of various awards and grants. Including the Sustaining Creative Workers Grant (2022), City of Melbourne Quick Response Grant (2020), and Australia Council Artstart Grant (2010). Her work was highly commended in NotFair Art Fair (2017), and the winner of The People’s Choice Award in Summer Show, Counihan Gallery (2018) and The Substation Contemporary Art Prize (2013).

Recently, Shanrah has concluded an art residency working with Hume Valley School and Regional Arts Victoria in partnership with the Department of Education and Training, and Creative Victoria as part of the Creative Workers in Schools Program (2021).

 Shanrah has been involved in a variety of group shows, collaborations, theatre productions and facilitated various community art projects with young people. Currently, she is developing new works that explore concepts on monsters and creating sculptures that attach to the body.