Havelock Stevens is one of the more exciting contemporary artists working today, with an astute pulse on the collective psyche, but also great humanity that explores collective empathy, shared vulnerabilities and a search for belonging –
Gina Fairley, Artshub 2020
FULL REVIEW HERE Artshub, February 2020
TINA HAVELOCK STEVENS
Tina Havelock Stevens is an Australian based artist who explores the ambiguities of human nature using moving image, still image, sound, music, performance, text, mixed media and immersive installations. She creates intimate, transcendent, immersive art experiences drawing connections between personal histories and loaded sites whilst revealing atmospheres, sociological, environmental and emotional space.
2021 brings Havelock Stevens a survey show NATURE EXTEMPORIZE at The Substation in Melbourne. She began 2021 with a solo show at Carriageworks for Sydney Festival with her audio-visual installation THANK YOU FOR HOLDING. In 2020 she exhibited in Afterglow, Yokohama Triennale, Japan and Hope in the Dark at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne. She also had a major solo show of video and neon at Perth Institute of Contemporary Art for Perth Festival and was featured in The National 2019: New Australian Art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney with her dual channel work The Rapids. Other works include a year long collaboration with the Hills District community in Sydney’s North west creating various visual and sonic elements for her extensive Museum of Contemporary Art C3 West project Hasta La Bella Vista Baby which culminated in a multi – artform event (2019)
Havelock Stevens is the recipient of the prestigious 65th Blake Prize (2018) and the 55th Fisher Ghost Prize (2017).
She curated for Artbar at the Museum of Contemporary Art (2018) and has delivered various commissions including ‘Submerge’, MONA FOMA (2013), REWIND ROOM (Performance Space, 2015) THUNDERHEAD at Dark Mofo and Performance Space (2016), BETASHOCKERS, Big Anxiety Festival (UNSW & AGNSW, Sydney, 2017) and BEATS OF DARKNESS for the Manila Biennale (Philippines, 2018)
Other select exhibitions include Gertrude Contemporary (Melbourne, 2011 & 2015), Fisher Ghost Art Prize (Contemporary Section winner, 2013), Bullet Space (NYC, 2014), MILL 6 CHAT Foundation (Hong Kong, 2016), Alaska Projects (Sydney, 2016), Darren Knight Gallery (Sydney, 2017), Galerie Pom Pom (Sydney, 2017), The Lock Up Gallery (Newcastle, 2018 & 2016), Artspace (Sydney, 2018) Dominik Mersch Gallery (2021) and John Fries Art Award finalist (UNSW, 2017) amongst many other installations and performances nationally and internationally.
Havelock Stevens is on the MCA Artist Advisory Group and is a former resident artist of the Clothing Store, Carriageworks 2019 – 2020.
Her work has been featured on ABC Radio’s Arts and Books shows, ABC TV News Breakfast and in publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, RealTime, Running Dog, Artlink, Art Almanac, Artshub, and in Art Collector ’s Top Fifty Artists (2017 & 2020), as well as feature articles on her art drumming practice in magazines Tom Tom, 2016 (US) and Drumscene, 2018 (AU). Her work is in the collections of Artbank, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Newcastle Art Gallery, and numerous private collections.
She continues to work with collaborators such as choreographer Jo Lloyd (Performance Space 2017 & 2019, Ian Potter Museum 2019, Dark Mofo 2020) composer Cat Hope (Fremantle Biennale 2017, Perth Festival 2019) music and art ensemble Chicks on Speed (Artspace 2013, MCA 2014, Performance Space 2019) and long-time musical collaborator Liberty Kerr (The Mumps/post rock band, experimental duo performances, THUNDERHEAD, The Rapids)
Live improvised performance on a full drum kit which was slowly and fully submerged underwater commissioned by MONA FOMA (2013).
‘One of her performance projects sees her enact spontaneous, high-energy and durational performances. Using rock’n’roll drum-kits, the work unfolds as a spectacle that responds and tunes into the frequencies of a specific site and place. These performances are often recorded for future video installations — for this a video work ‘Reading the River’.
White Drummer taps into the frequencies and electromagnetic pulses of places and times – appropriately, opposite MONA on Little Frying Pan Island.
2013 White Drummer, MONA Billboard, Republic Tower, Melbourne
Excerpts from ‘White Drummer Detroit’ – DETROIT post-apocalyptic city series
Packard Plant excerpt HD Video Installation
