Born in Hobart in 1962, Luke Wagner is an artist that follows his heart. After initially embarking on a science-based career in the early 1980s, a mix of planned and serendipitous events led to him becoming immersed in the art world. Captivated by his new-found career, Wagner has developed a unique style that reflects the universal, whilst capturing the essence of Tasmania’s haunting landscapes. It incorporates timeless Arcadian moods, imbued with classical echoes that entice the viewer to explore.
Although Wagner is renowned for his surreal and stylised landscapes, his work often integrates figurative and still life genres that provide a catalyst to convey his intent. Luke gets much of his inspiration from his beloved Tasmanian landscape, where he spends many hours absorbing its nuances and power. He then returns to the tranquillity of his peaceful bushland studio near Hobart to create works that are filtered through his memory.
Working intuitively, he reorders what he has seen and experienced into his own perceptive and thought-provoking visual language. Luke Wagner has won numerous awards and his work continues to grow in popularity. Since his first sell-out exhibition in 1994, he has held a further 24 successful exhibitions in Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. A self-taught painter, Luke has allowed his individualistic and personal approach to his work to flourish. He continues to explore many themes and ideas and says that his intent is ‘to make meaningful and worthwhile art that engages the viewer in a poetic and honest way’.
SHOWS & PRIZES
2022 The Space Between – Libby Edwards Galleries Melbourne
2020 Ithaka – Journeys to Islands after Constantine Cavafy Colville Gallery Hobart
2019 Earthly Immortalities Colville Gallery Hobart
2018 On the Island paintings from Tasman Island residency Colville Gallery Hobart
2017 In his sleep paintings with James McAuley Poems ColvilleGallery Hobart
2017 Small Worlds Colville Gallery, Hobart
2016 Under my breath( paintings from the Domain) Colville Gallery, Hobart
2015 Wonderland , Colville Gallery , Hobart
2014 Visage Colville Gallery , Hobart
2013 I wait by the sea , Colville Gallery , Hobart
2013 Studio , prints and paintings , Frogmore Cellar Door , Hobart
2012 My Ground , Colville Gallery, Hobart
2012 Frontier , Soho Gallery , Sydney
2011 Nightset , Colville Gallery , Hobart
2011 Savour , Henry Jones Art Hotel , Hobart
2010 This Waking Life , Colville Gallery , Hobart
2009 Surface , Cube Gallery , Hobart
2009 Incarnation , Salamanca Collection ,Hobart
2008 Between the Lines , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2008 Home Before Dark , Libby Edwards Gallery , Sydney
2007 Time and again , Libby Edwards Gallery , Melbourne
2007 Still Life , Libby Edwards Gallery , Brisbane
2006 From the Inside Out , Libby Edwards Gallery , Sydney
2006 Telling Stories , Salamanca Gallery , Hobart
2005 Somewhere to be , Libby Edwards Gallery , Melbourne
2005 A Sense of Place , Crown Casino , Melbourne
2005 Time and Truth , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2005 Some of the time , Libby Edwards Gallery , Brisbane
2004 Summer Paintings , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2004 Second Sight , Brian Moore Gallery , Sydney
2004 Looking for Patterns , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2003 Essence , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2002 Harvest ,Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2002 Recent Paintings , Brian Moore Gallery , Sydney
2001 Earthly Intrigue , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2000 Indelible , Salamanca Collection , Hobart
2000 Paintings , Jill Richards Gallery , Sydney
1999 Still Salamanca Collection , Hobart
1997 Shadow and Identity ,Sidewalk Gallery , Hobart
1997 Sense and Memory , Wadi Gallery , Sydney
1996 Emblem ,Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston
1995 Thinking Outside the Square , Sidewalk Gallery , Hobart
1994 A Richness of Purpose , Sidewalk Gallery ,Hobart.
Group and Prize Exhibitions
2020 Glover Prize finalist
2017 Glover Prize finalist
2017 Tattersalls Prize finalist
2017 Hadleys Prize finalist
2016 Tattersalls Art Prize, Brisbane, finalist
2015 Tattersalls Art Prize, Brisbane Finalist
2013 Tattersalls Art Prize , Brisbane , Finalist
2013 Glover Prize Finalist
2012 Mosman Art Prize ,Sydney , Finalist
2012 Tattersalls Art Prize , Brisbane , Finalist
2011 Tattersalls Art Prize , Brisbane ,Finalist
2010 Tattersalls Art prize , Brisbane , Finalist
2007 Glover Prize , Evandale , Finalist
2005 Tattersalls Art Prize , Brisbane -Finalist
Prizes
2015 Judges Commendation Tattersalls Prize Brisbane
1999 Central Highlands Art Award winner, Tasmania
1996 Circular Head (Island Art Prize) winner, Tasmania
Collections
State Government of Tasmania
Government House ,Tasmania
Royal Tennis Club Hobart
State Library of Tasmania
Devonport Regional Gallery
Central Highlands Council Collection