Drawing from both her personal experiences and broader human themes, Australian artist Amber Stokie primarily works with abstract painting and conceptual text to explore cycles of uncertainty, excitement, fear, and feelings of overwhelm that shape her artistic journey. Concurrently she explores the concept of individualisation / uniqueness through the dual lenses of her identity as an artist and as one of triplets. Marked by an openness to revision and re-imagination, each series of work directly informs the next as Stokie embraces experimentation and stylistic diversion.
Stokies text-based works on paper engage more directly with her desire to achieve a unique sense of self and to question her place in the world. The process of creating the artwork is documented, and the resulting video is part of the installation. Continuing her lightness of touch and choosing phrases that resonate with both dimensions of her identity, Stokie uses a technique she refers to as “mirror writing” where both left and right hands are employed simultaneously. A unique method that provides the viewer an insight into her inner-voice and concerns while also expressing the sensation of duality she feels in response to the presence of her triplet siblings.
“As a triplet, I’ve experienced life as a “we” more than an “I” which I believe is the catalyst for my ongoing interest in human collective experience and emotion and provides a starting point for me to reflect on life’s complexity in general. I consider my identity as a grouped one which explains the sensation of never being alone and always existing alongside, and considering others.”
Amber Stokie holds a Master of Fine Arts with high distinction at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Since 2006 whilst showing her work in group and solo exhibitions she has curated exhibitions at Artasis Gallery in Melbourne and completed numerous commissions and live painting performances, including at the National Gallery of Victoria. She has been a finalist in the Williamstown, Stanthorpe and Blacktown prizes and has won “people’s choice” at AGENDO emerging art award. In 2016 she was recipient of the ADFAS Young Artist Award for her RMIT (Melbourne) MFA finalist work, the next year she successfully had a solo exhibition at the Wodonga Public Art Gallery in Regional Australia. Stokie has been awarded multiple grants for her work from both Council and RMIT University in Australia. In 2019 she was commissioned to perform a key work “Are You An Artist Too” from her Masters studies at the 2019 Montsalvat Arts Centre in Melbourne. Stokie’s work is widely collected both in Australia and overseas.
Home page photograph: 2022 exhibition view Michael Reid Northern Beaches, photo by Jodie Baker, Sydney.