John Vella

Biography

John Vella was born and raised in Sydney and moved to Hobart, Tasmania in 1996. After completing two years of an architecture degree at UTS in 1987-88, John travelled for 12 months overseas, worked as a waiter, labourer, photographer (for the band Midnight Oil), telemarketer, truck loader, phone book factory hand, exhibitions officer, and gallery attendant; completed a DipFA with Distinction (National Art School Sydney) and a BFA (Hons) first class and an MFA (Tasmanian College of the Arts, UTAS, Hobart). Vella's works have been included in 12 solo and over 45 group exhibitions in local and national contexts (since 1993) and reviewed nationally and internationally. His work is represented in a number of collections in Australia including ArtBank, University of NSW and Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Vella has been awarded 5 major competitive commissions through the Art for Public Building Scheme and received significant, competitive grants from Arts Tasmania and the Australia Council. John has taught across a broad range of national and international contexts. Following periods teaching drawing and painting at the School of Creative Arts, John was appointed as an Associate lecturer in Sculpture in 2005 where he is now the Head of Discipline (Art).

Research Interest

Abstraction – aesthetic / pragmatic, Sculpture / Installation, Public Art, Socially engaged practice and collaboration.