ARTIST BIO | CV | PRESS
a celebrated Australian artist
Meli’s work unapologetically confronts gender inequality, with a particular focus on the challenges and triumphs of daughters in a world that often values sons more highly.
Born in Brisbane in 1969 and now based in the serene hinterland of northern New South Wales, Meli draws deeply from her personal experiences as a mother.
Her evocative oil paintings capture the everyday beauty and complexity of her daughters, Lily and Mia, celebrating their strength and resilience.
The Pool Series
Meli’s Pool Series, now comprising 75 paintings, is central to her practice. These works use the family’s pool and the surrounding landscape as metaphors for the transition from childhood innocence to the realities of growing up under societal pressures.
Her paintings invite viewers to reconsider and challenge long-held biases while celebrating the profound love and unwavering protection a mother offers her daughters.
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Meli has exhibited widely, with solo and group shows across Australia and internationally, including New York and Texas.
Her upcoming solo exhibition, Portraits of Love, will be featured at the Tweed Regional Art Gallery from November 2024 to January 2025.
Previous solo exhibitions include Daughters (2021) at Gallery Downtown, an annexe of the Tweed Regional Art Gallery. Her work has also been part of esteemed group exhibitions such as the Byron Art Prize Finalists Exhibition and Wollumbin Art Award Finalists Exhibition.
Meli’s contributions to the art world have not gone unnoticed. She has been a finalist in numerous prestigious art awards, including the Wollumbin Art Award (2024, 2022) and the Sunshine Coast Art Prize (2022). In 2022, two of her works were selected for the new Tweed Valley Hospital Art Program, further cementing her influence in the local art community.
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Meli’s paintings transcend mere visual appeal, blending skillful oil techniques with a narrative depth that resonates universally. Her work is a call to action, urging viewers to recognize and celebrate the equal value of daughters. Through scenes of playful joy and contemplative stillness, Meli’s art serves as both a celebration of familial love and a protest against the societal norms that continue to impact girls' lives.
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Meli’s artistic journey has been shaped by intensive training in oil painting, including studying under Ben Smith from 2017 to 2020 and Hobie Porter from 2014 to 2015. Her technique is rooted in tradition yet pushes boundaries, resulting in a unique and instantly recognizable style that speaks directly to the heart.
Artist Bio
Meli Axford, born in Brisbane in 1969, is a passionate and thought-provoking oil painter whose work addresses the deep-seated gender biases that shape our world. Her art is a call to challenge the harmful narratives that can make daughters feel less valued than sons from the moment they are born.
Drawing inspiration from the beauty of her home overlooking the hinterland, Meli paints vivid and heartfelt scenes of her daughters, Lily and Mia, as they embrace life with strength and spirit.
Through her art, she sheds light on the subtle and overt messages of inequality that permeate society, offering a compelling counter-narrative that celebrates the undeniable brilliance and resilience of girls.
Meli’s work has been showcased in New York and across Australia, earning her recognition as a finalist in the Wollumbin Art Award (2024, 2022), the Sunshine Coast Art Prize (2022), and the Byron Art Prize (2020, 2021, 2022).
Curriculum Vitae
Solo Exhibitions
2024 | Portraits of Love | Tweed Regional Art Gallery, Stokers Siding | Nov 2024 - Jan 2025
2021 | Daughters | Gallery Downtown, annexe to Tweed Regional Art Gallery, Murwillumbah | 9 Apr - 13 Jun
Group Exhibitions
2024 | Insight Artspace Group Show | Affordable Art Fair Austin, Texas | 16-19 May
2023 | She Creates | Small Works Gallery, Murwillumbah | 24-30 Nov
2023 | Colour Spectrum | Art Lovers, Gold Coast | 29 Apr - 3 Jun
2023 | Colour Spectrum | Art Lovers, Melbourne | 29 Apr - 3 Jun
2023 | Affordable Art Fair | New York | 23 Mar - 26 Mar
2023 | Collector’s Edition | Art Lovers, Gold Coast | 12 Mar - 28 Apr
2023 | Fiercely Feminine | Art Lovers, Gold Coast | 4 Feb - 11 Mar
2022 | Balancing Act | Small Works Gallery, Murwillumbah | 25 Nov - 1 Dec
2022 | Local Love | Thom Gallery, Byron Bay | 10 Nov - 17 Nov
2022 | Byron Art Prize Finalists Exhibition | | Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina | 19 Oct - 11 Dec
2022 | Wollumbin Art Award Finalists Exhibition | Tweed Regional Art Gallery, Murwillumbah | 30 Sep - 20 Nov
2022 | Sunshine Coast Art Prize Finalists Exhibition | Caloundra Gallery, Caloundra | 26 Aug - 16 Oct
2022 | Murwillumbah Arts Trail | Murwillumbah Open Studios Program | 28-29 May
2021 | Byron Art Prize Finalists Exhibition | Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina | 2 Nov - 24 Dec
2021 | D’Arcy Doyle Art Awards Exhibition | Mudgeeraba | 23 Jun - 4 Jul
2021 | Lethbridge Small Works Finalists Exhibition | Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane
| 18-26 Jun
2021 | Murwillumbah Arts Trail | Murwillumbah Open Studios Program | 29-30 May
2020 | Byron Art Prize Finalists Exhibition | Northern Rivers Community Gallery, Ballina | 21 Oct - 14 Dec
Awards & Prizes
2024 | Finalist | Wollumbin Art Award
2022 | Finalist | Byron Art Prize
2022 | Finalist | Wollumbin Art Award
2022 | Finalist | Sunshine Coast Art Prize
2021 | Finalist | Byron Art Prize
2021 | Finalist | Lethbridge Small Works 20000 Prize
2020 | Honorable Mention & Finalist | Byron Art Prize
Collections
2022 | Meli has had 2 works accepted for the new Tweed Valley Hospital Art Program
Training
2017-2020 | Innovative Oil Painting with Ben Smith
2014-2015 | Oil Painting with Hobie Porter
