A R T I S T I N R E S I D E N C E - A P P L I C A T I O N

Metoropolitan Fukujusou
18-1 Okazaki Minamigoshocho,
Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8334
https://fukujusou.net/
My art practice explores the surface of things. From drawings of detailed rendered surfaces, to the clothes (our fabric skins) that we wear in public, and onto the outside shell of our everyday lives.

My choice of medium flows between drawing (graphite & silverpoint), photography, video, sculpture and in recent years, has blurred into a quiet performance through my ordinary, everyday life. Reaching to articulate the threshold between what is revealed and what is concealed by the surfaces and boundaries between our inner and outer worlds that we unconsciously maintain. From the exterior layer of what we seemingly “do” on the surface of our lives, to our inner realm of feelings, desires and the sensory experience of being alive.

In Sydney, Australia the contemporary art world has somewhat sealed itself into the sterile white cube, a space that has become increasingly intimidating and disconnected from lived realities of everyday people. For a year and a half, I’ve been wearing a doll-like dress inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. Carrying this fairytale visual into the everyday spaces and onto public transport, in my daily commute to-and-from work, where art is not typically encountered. This ongoing quiet performance, is a gentle reminder to those looking, that the world is both our playground and canvas. I often find people stare, for the pure enjoyment of filling their eyes with a bright red colour, especially on the grey days or sluggish mornings. I find the ordinary side of our lives a fascinating series of choices that we make, consciously or not.

Because of this, I am deeply drawn to the opportunity your residency offers: the chance to live inside a traditional Japanese home where simplicity, slowness, and attentiveness become part of daily existence. I imagine that the wooden textures, tatami mats, and the Zen minimalism sensibilities of your space would influence my artwork and self perception. An echo of the external world rippling through to my inner sense of self. As a foreigner, I hope to encounter Japan through unfamiliar and open eyes. To jostle my sense of the familiar by the emersion into another culture.

During a 6–12 months stay, in an available Residency Room - I hope to begin with a series of graphite drawings on black paper, responding to the house, its quiet corners, and the surrounding local streetscape. I am especially interested in exploring both the everyday atmosphere of Kyoto in its ordinary and contemporary common places, alongside the layers of histories and traditions absorbed by the passing centuries.

Ultimately, I am seeking a period of immersion, attentive thought, and transformative experience within a culture whose relationship to beauty, craftsmanship, and simplicity has long inspired me. I would be honoured to experience the unique atmosphere of your residency and to create work that reflects both my own practice and the traditions that the residency preserves.

Please feel welcome to explore:

a selection of my works (below),
my evolving art diary / writings (https://alicealice.art),
or my instagram for an extended survey of drawings.

I hope to hear from you soon for the opportunity to potentially join you as an artist in residence in 2026:

stokes.alice@gmail.com

Warm regards,
Alice Stokes

C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E
* below images

Alice Stokes
b. 1987 Australia
drawing, sculpture, photography.

C U R R I C U L U M V I T A E
Alice Stokes
b. 1987 Australia
drawing, sculpture, photography.

E D U C A T I O N

2012 – 2013
Master of Art Curatorship - University of Sydney, Australia (Sydney NSW)

2009
Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) in Drawing - National Art School Australia (Sydney NSW)

2005 – 2007
Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography & Sculpture - National Art School Australia (Sydney NSW)

E X H I B I T I O N S

2022 Witches, Sneaky Possum, Chippendale NSW Australia

2021 Widerschein, Köpenick District Court Prison, Art Institute KuKuKu e.V., Berlin Germany

2019 Here Now, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange NSW Australia

2019 Untitled, Adelarose, Parkes NSW Australia

2018 Australian Gothic, Parkes Shire Library, Parkes NSW Australia

2018 Here Now, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange NSW Australia

2018 Parkes Art of Australia Day, Coventry Room Parkes Shire Library & Cultural Centre NSW Australia

2017 She Scratches, Oblomov Kreuzkoelln, Kreuzberg Berlin Germany

2017 Alice Stokes, 4 Walls Studios, Friedrichshain Berlin Germany

2016 Silver Gelatin, Ragú, Kreuzberg Berlin Germany

2016 Non Plus Ultra Minus Multiverse, curator Antje Görner, Kunstraum Tapir, Berlin Germany

2015 Balloon Moon Finale Atelier Studios, Kunst Etagen Pankow, Berlin Germany

2013 Bobok curator Emet Sosna, Das Gift, Berlin Germany

2013 Real it Up! curator Nina Thorwart, Kunstraum Tapir, Berlin Germany

2013 Von Oakland nach Berlin curator Dickson Schneider, Kunstraum Tapir, Berlin Germany

2011 FONAS Plate Auction, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2010 Oxford Art Prize Exhibition, Oxford Arts Festival 2010, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2010 Paper Cut, Library Stairwell Gallery National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2010 Under the Dust, Xiavier Space, St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2010 Postcard Show, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne VIC Australia

2009 Holiday Issue, Blanket Magazine, http://blanketmagazine.com

2009 FONAS Plate Auction, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2009 FONAS Postcard Show, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2009 Postgraduate Exhibition, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW Australia

2008 Photo Portrait, Berkelouw Books, Newtown NSW Australia

2007 Grad Show, National Art School, Darlinghurst NSW

ART INDUSTRY

2022 Oct – Current
National Art School (Sydney NSW) Student Services Administration Officer

2020 May – 2021 June
Art and Business Pty Ltd (Sydney NSW) Bookkeeper

2013 Jun – Dec & 2014 Oct – 2016 Apr
Takt Kunstprojektraum Artists Residency (Berlin, Germany) Curator & Artists Manager

2012 – 2014
Carriageworks (Sydney NSW) Corporate Services Executive Assistant & Gallery Receptionist

2012 Apr – Oct
NG Art Gallery (Sydney NSW) Co-curator Internship & Arts Administrator

2006 – 2012
Australian Centre for Photography (Sydney NSW) Executive Assistant, Arts Administrator, Accounts, Receptionist & Exhibition Installer