I would like to acknowledge and pay my respects to the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region. I pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Ellamay Khongroj Fitzgerald b. 1992, is an emerging artist based on Yugambeh Country. Her lens based practice spans across photography, video and new media with an ongoing exploration into her dual Australian and Thai heritage. Ellamay's work is largely influenced by her lived experiences growing up mixed-race on the Gold Coast and perceptions of culture, identity and place as a second generation Asian Australian.
Using lens-based and community engaged processes, Ellamay aims to elevate people within the Asian Australian diaspora, with a core focus on dismantling perceptions of Australia as one constructed culture.
Ellamay graduated with a Bachelor of Photography from QCA Brisbane. She has presented works both solo and collaboratively for Metro Arts Brisbane, THE WALLS ART SPACE, BLEACH* Festival, Placemakers* Gold Coast, Mint Art House, Level Up Gallery, Level One Seventeen Gallery, Running Duck Theatre Company, SUNSTUDIOS Sydney and QCA Brisbane.
In 2022 Ellamay was awarded the Judges Choice Award at the Brewing Local Artists Exhibition and is a founding member of Byway Collective.
GRANTS AND ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2022 - 2023 Recipient of the Regional Arts Development Fund: Activate Arts, Gold Coast
2021 - 2022 GENERATE GC Program by City of Gold Coast, in partnership with Situate Art in Festivals, Gold Coast
2020 Artist in Residence, Mint Art House, Gold Coast
2020 sART Grant Program for Mint Art House, Placemakers, Gold Coast
EXHIBITIONS
2022 Mixed Emotions II (Portrait of Lisa and Ruby), Big City Lights Festival, Placemakers
2022 Brewing Local Artists Exhibition, Burleigh Brewing Company
2021 Mixed Emotion Part I: THE WALLS ART SPACE: MEDIUM RARE, Gold Coast
2021 Gallery Launch Group Exhibition, Mint Art House, Gold Coast
2020 ACID Test Vol. II, Group Exhibition, Level One/Seventeen Gallery, Gold Coast
2020 Regenerate Group Show and charity fundraiser for the Australian bushfires Relief at Mint Art House, Gold Coast
2019 A night in Apres, Apres Surf, Group Exhibition, Gold Coast
2018 In Bloom Solo Art Exhibition, Hotel Miami, Gold Coast
2014 SUNSTUDIOS Assistant & Emerging Photographer Awards Exhibition, Sydney
2013 Graduating Photography Student Exhibition It’s Not You, It’s Me Queensland
College of Art, Brisbane
AWARDS & QUALIFICATIONS
2022 Judges Choice Award, Brewing Local Artists Exhibition, Burleigh Brewing Company
2014 Finalist of the 2014 Assistant & Emerging Photographers Award, presented by SUNSTUDIOS, Sydney
2014 Sun Studios Best Image Award: Graduating student demonstrating technical and conceptual clarity within the politic of the practiced stream - Graduating Photography Student Exhibition ‘It’s Not You,
It’s Me’ at Queensland College of Art, Brisbane
2014 Bachelor of Photography, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2022 Artistic Photographer, WomAn Artist, in collaboration with Belloo Creative & Metro Arts Brisbane
2022 Artistic Photographer, BETWIXT by Pink Matter, Metro Arts Brisbane
2020 A Pleasant Place: Development and production of site-specific art installation at Chevron Island, Gold Coast. Sponsored by BLEACH Festival 2020.
2020 Glenn Barry: A short documentary film of Indigenous artist Glenn Barry, showcased at Behind The Golden Doors for Placemakers, Gold Coast
2020 Featured artist in Solid Gold artists in conversation podcast presented by HOTA Gallery, Gold Coast
2020 Youth Advisory Group, HOTA Gallery, Gold Coast
2021 Visual Media Artist, SWING performed by Running Duck Theatre Company at HOTA, Gold Coast
2020 Photographer & Visual Media Artist, An Evening at the Pink Poodle performed by Running Duck Theatre Company at HOTA, Gold Coast
2018 - 2020 Photography Lab Assistant, Shibui Film Gold Coast
2020 Photography Workshop Facilitator, Level Up Gallery Gold Coast