Julia deVille is an artist, jeweller and taxidermist who only uses subjects in her taxidermy that have died of natural causes. She is an advocate for animal rights, and began including taxidermy in her art work in 2002, combining it with her jewellery making practice to produce small sculptures and installations. DeVille’s interest in memento mori traditions of the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries and Victorian mourning jewellery inform her wearable pieces.
Biography
Julia deVille was born in Wellington, New Zealand. She studied fashion for one year a Massey University and then moved to Melbournein 2001 to study shoe making/design at RMIT. Julia started two short jewellery courses in late 2002, at the same time she met her taxidermy mentor and started learning the craft of taxidermy. She enrolled in the Advanced Diploma in Gold and Silversmithing from 2003 - 2004.
2015: Fantastic Worlds, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Queensland. Return to Hanging Rock, Mulberry Hill, Victoria. Kennedy Prize, Kennedy Arts Foundation, Adelaide. National Self-Portrait Prize, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane. Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast City Gallery, Queensland. Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Woollahra Council Chambers, Sydney. Manning Art Prize, Manning Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales. Storm in a Teacup,Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Victoria. Victorian Craft Award, Craft Victoria, Melbourne.
2014: Phantasmagoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, dark heart: Adelaide Biennale of Australian Art, Adelaide. Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne. Scope Galleries Art Award, Scope Galleries, Victoria. Domestic Bliss, Deakin University Art Gallery, Melbourne.
2013: Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Contemporary Voices, The Fine Art Society, London. Jan Murphy Gallery, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Sydney. Sophie Gannon Gallery, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Sydney. Diorama, Woolongong City Gallery, Victoria. Second Nature,PM Gallery & House, London. Wonderworks, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong.
2012: Small Works, Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane. Theatre of the World, Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart. Unexpected Pleasures, Design Museum, London.
2016: Finalist, Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, Deakin University Art Gallery, Melbourne.
2015: Finalist, Kennedy Prize, Kennedy Arts Foundation, Adelaide. Finalist, National Self-Portrait Prize, UQ Art Museum, Brisbane. Finalist, Gold Coast Art Prize, Gold Coast City Gallery, Queensland. Finalist, Manning Art Prize, Manning Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales. Finalist, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney. Finalist, Victorian Craft Award, Craft Victoria, Melbourne.
2014: Winner, Scope Galleries Award, Victoria.
2013: Winner, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney. Winner, Vermont Award, Wallace Art Awards. Finalist, City of Hobart Art Prize, Hobart. Finalist, Wilson Art Award, New South Wales.
2012: Winner, City of Hobart Art Prize, Hobart.
2011: Viewer’s Choice Winner, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney.
