Brendan Van Hek

Brendan Van Hek’s practice explores the narratives of personal histories, fiction and cultural politics. Utilising a range of materials, including neon, mirror, glass, metal and paint, his practice ranges from intimate text-based works to large-scale abstract installations and furniture-like sculptures. 

Brendan Van Hek graduated with Honours from Curtin University Western Australia in 2001 and currently lives and works in Sydney. He has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. Notable exhibitions include The National: New Australian Art, Carriageworks, Sydney (2021); Other People Think: Auckland’s Contemporary International Collection, Auckland Art Gallery (2018); Colour Restraint, Campbelltown Arts Centre, (2015); LUMINOUSFLUX, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, Perth (2013); NEW11, ACCA, Melbourne (2011); TWMA Contemporary, Tarrawarra Museum of Art (2010); A Certain Slant of Light, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, (2009); Shifting Geometries, The Australian Embassy, Washington DC, USA (2012); and Becoming: Worlds In Flux, C24 Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA (2012). In 2012 Van Hek undertook a residency at ISCP, New York, and was the recipient of a Mid-Career Fellowship from the Department of Culture and the Arts WA. His work is held in major public and private collections internationally including the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Auckland Art Gallery. Van Hek has also been commissioned to produce public artworks for prominent sites in Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne, including a major neon installation for Darling Square, Sydney in 2019.