About Gitte
Danish-born Australian artist Gitte Backhausen (b. 1976), is a multidisciplinary artist who’s practice spans painting, assemblage, printmaking, installation, mixed media and text-based art. Dividing her time between the South Coast of NSW and Bondi Beach, Sydney, her work explores the intersection of nature and psychology in her well-known and expressive subconscious abstract landscape paintings.
Still rooted in her visual language of abstraction and expressive mark-making, more recently her practice has expanded to include text-based art. In this new work Backhausen investigates the dichotomy between societal conformity and individual expression through the use of fonts as a symbol of standardisation, and asemic handwriting as a representation of personal identity and freedom. This work reflects on broader societal themes of conformity and individuality and the impact of technology on individual expression.
Whether diving into the subconscious through the raw and expressive visual language of nature, or questioning the impact of societal structures on the personal expression, Backhausen’s work seeks to inspire curiosity and dialogue. The common thread through all of her work evolves around the themes of psychology, the subconscious and questioning our roles in life, both personally and on a broader societal level.
Drawing inspiration from the surrealists’s interest in the subconscious, the Dada movement using art to for political and social critique, to the expressive freedom of abstract expressionism and contemporary landscape painting as well as a curiosity about technology’s influence on human behaviour, Backhausen’s work continues to both expand and deepen. Artists influencing her practice includes Cy Twombly, Per Kirkeby, Elizabeth Cummings, Glenn Ligon and Julie Mehretu. Degree qualified in applied social science, graphic design as well as art, her work is merging into an ever-evolving practice, not only informed by her multi-degree background and interests, but also her lifelong commitment to her art. The solid foundation of her practice is an ongoing desire to keep contributing to contemporary discourse and raise questions about how to navigate our human role in contemporary society.
Biography
Gitte Backhausen (b. 1976) is a Danish-born Australian multidisciplinary artist living and working on the South Coast of NSW. Backhausen is due to finish her Master of Fine Art in 2026 at National Art School , Sydney, where she completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2024. She furthermore holds a Bachelor of Applied Social Science from Australian College of Applied Psychology (2010) and a Bachelor of Graphic Design from Denmark (2002).
With a committed art practice for over two decades, Backhausen has a long solo and group exhibition history, from commercial to regional galleries and beyond. Her work has been is frequently selected for art prizes and awards, such as Fishers Ghost Award, Waverley Art Prize, Blacktown City Art Prize and Meroogal Women’s Art Prize. In 2019 she won the Kiama Cultural Grant and in 2023 her work was selected by leading architect and founding patron of Lyon Housemuseum, Corbett Lyon, as the winner of the inaugural Feel Good Art Prize.
In addition to her own art-practice, Backhausen is a passionate workshops facilitator, artist’s mentor and creative entrepreneur. In 2018 she co-founded Fern Street Gallery in Gerringong, NSW, and was co-owner and director for two years. She played a significant role in the gallery winning the Regional Tourism Award in 2019 for best new regional business. Backhausen was invited to be the independent judge on the exhibition selection committee at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in 2020 and has served as the peer-elected BFA representative on the Academic Board at the National Art School from 2023-2025. In 2025 she won the NAVA Ignition Prize for Excellence in Professional Practice.
www.gittebackhausen.art
@gittebackhausenart
Artist Statement
My practice is based on a persistent curiosity about life and how we navigate the complexities of being human. Spanning painting, assemblage, printmaking, immersive installation, mixed media, and text-based art, my work engages with themes of psychology, the subconscious, and our roles within societal structures.
My subconscious abstract landscapes explore the psychological terrain of human experience, combining references to nature with the raw essence of the subconscious mind. My assemblage work challenges the pop-psychology culture, whilst my printmaking predominantly celebrates nature as a metaphor for both decay, unpredictability and renewal. Recently, my practice has expanded into text-based art, examining the tension between societal conformity and individual expression. In these works, computer-generated fonts serve as a symbol of standardisation whilst asemic handwriting refers to the freedom and complexity of personal identity. In the interplay between the two, how we navigate the dichotomies of contemporary society, where both structure and individual freedom must coexist, is questioned.
Influences include the expressive freedom of the abstract expressionist, the surrealists’ exploration of the subconscious, and the Dada movement’s critical lens on society. Artist who have influenced my practice over the years include Cy Twombly, Elisabeth Cumming and Tony Tuckson. More recently the work of artists Glenn Ligon and Julie Mehretu, alongside the research by Professor Christina Bicchieri on social norms and human behaviour, has had a big influence on my work.
Ultimately, I see my work as an invitation for viewers to question how we navigate the shifting landscapes of contemporary society, both individually and collectively. The ongoing commitment to my practice is driven by a desire to contribute to contemporary discourse, foster a deeper understanding of our shared human experience, and raise questions to which each of us must find our own answers.
CV
SOLO Exhibitions
2024 Not As Expected National Art School Grad Show Studio Exhibition
2023 Gentle Wilderness SIBU Gallery Sydney / Cin Cin, Kiama NSW
2022 Subconscious Landscapes Twenty Twenty Six Gallery, Sydney NSW
2020 Where We Are Fern Street Gallery, Gerringong NSW
2019 InBetween Fern Street Gallery, Gerringong NSW
2019 Presence of Nature Art Bar, Kiama NSW
2018 Secret Landscapes Fern Street Gallery, Gerringong NSW
2018 Nuances of Life Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra NSW
2017 Re:Loved Little Blowhole Art Bar, Kiama NSW
2016 Ever-changing Little Blowhole Art Bar, Kiama NSW
2013 Pop Up Gallery at Challis Studio, Sydney
2011 Sydney Art Expo, Solo stall
2009 Forgotten World Global Gallery, Sydney
2008 Kringlen Galleri, Hune, Denmark
2008 The Intuitive Well Gallery, Sydney
2006 Foer Australien ‘KulturStationen’, Skørping, Denmark
2006 Colourful Stories Cafe Nostimo, Sydney
2006 Life’s Colours Art Moment Gallery, Sydney
2005 Artville Artshow Copenhagen, Denmark
2004 Variationer at ‘KulturStationen’s Galleri’ Skørping, Denmark
2003 Udtryk til Indtryk ‘Kvarterhuset’ Copenhagen, Denmark
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Second Life The Rocks Sydney. NAS Alumni.
2024 Beauty Runs the Gauntlet Bondi Pavillion Gallery
2024 Threads of Intersection NAS Library, Sydney
2021 Between Earth and Sky Duo Exhibition with Lissa de Sailles, FSG
2020 Colour & Life Duo Exhibition Fern Street Gallery
2020 Transforming, King & Ayres, Wollongong
2019 Worlds of Wonder Fern Street Gallery
2019 Friends of Hazelhurst Hazelhurst Regional Gallery NSW
2019 Locals on Board Wollongong Art Gallery
2019 Water Fern Street Gallery, Gerringong NSW
2019 Girt by Sea, Rochfort Gallery, Sydney NSW
2019 Illawarra Local, Artsite Gallery, Sydney NSW
2019 Summertime, Fern Street Gallery, NSW
2019 Locals on Board, Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW
2018 Salon Exhibition alongside ‘Whimsy’ Exhibition, Rochfort Gallery, Sydney NSW
2018 Pigments at Play, Rochfort Gallery, Sydney NSW
2018 Everything in Between, Clifton School of Arts
2016 Kiama Art Society 38th Annual Exhibition
2016 Fresh Batch Platform72 Art Gallery, Sydney.
2009 Korea-Australia Exchange Group Exhibition by Seoul Art Centre,
Gongpyeong Gallery and Cross Bay Gallery, hosted by Global Gallery, Sydney
2009 Two Danish Artists, Helen Stephens Gallery, Sydney
2007 Group Exhibition with Global artists, Global Gallery, Sydney
2006 New Breed Global Gallery, Sydney
Prizes
2024 WINNER NAVA Ignition Award for Excellence in Professional Practice (NAS, Dec 2024).
2024 NAS LIBRARY Artists’ Book Award Finalist
2023 NAS LIBRARY Artists’ Book Award Finalist
2023 Feel Good Art Prize. WINNER
2023 Salon des Refuses Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award
2023 Salon des Refuses Lethbridge Landscape Prize
2021 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award Finalist
2021 Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award Finalist
2020 & 2018 Kangaroo Vallery Art Prize Finalist
2019 Kiama Cultural Grant. WINNER
2018 Meroogal Womens Art Prize Finalist
2018 Northern Beaches Art Prize Finalist
2017 Northern Beaches Art Prize Finalist
2016 Blacktown City Art Prize Finalist
2016 Warringah Art Prize Finalist
2016 Waverley Art Prize Finalist
Education
2025-2026 Masters of Fine Art, National Art School, Sydney
2025 Drawing with Threads w. Armando Chan, National Art School Sydney
2021-2024 Bachelor of Fine Arts, National Art School, Sydney
2020 Sustaining your Painting Practice w. Tonee Messiah, National Art School
2020 Abstract Drawing & Painting w. Yvonne Langshaw
2020 Experimental Printmaking w. Kirtika Kain, National Art School Sydney
2019 Plen Air Painting w. Jo Bertini
2018 Abstract Painting w. Catherine Cassidy
2018 Colour Workshop w. Carmel Byrne
2017 Hand Made Brushes and Mark Making w. Lorna Crane
2017 Painting Master class w. Roger Crawford, National Art School Sydney
2016 Mentoring with Pam Cowper
2015 Mixed media with Pam Cowper, Waverly Art School, Sydney
2014 Mixed Media with Joanne Mulcahy-Zubani, Sydney
2007-2010 Bachelor of Applied Social Science, Australian College of Applied Psychology, Sydney.
2004 Painting residency, Ærø, Denmark
1999-2002 Bachelor in Graphic Design, Seminariet for Formgivning, Denmark
1998 Drawing, design and visual communication, The School of Visual Arts, Copenhagen Denmark
1996-1998 Graphic Design and Visual communication Copenhagen Technical College, Denmark
1994-97 Various courses in Drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics, Denmark
Commissions
2018 Private Collection, Gerringong NSW
2017 Private Collection, Darlinghurst, Sydney
2016 Private Collection, Lilyfield, Sydney
2008 Corporate research company, Sydney CBD
2008 Private Collection, Vaucluse, Sydney
2006 Private Collection, Bondi, Sydney
2005 Private Collection, Denmark.
Other Professional Art Activities
Co-founder and Director, Fern Street Gallery, Gerringong 2018 – 2020.
Independent Judge – Shoalhaven Regional Gallery Exhibition Selection Committee 2020
Artist Mentoring – supporting artist who feel stuck in their practice, to move through into new artistic territories with confidence. 2022 – ongoing.
Academic Board Member National Art School – BFA representative 2023 – 2025
Workshop Facilitation
Get out of your Mind and Into your Art – Addressing creative block & freeing up through abstraction
Mixed Media – Creating texture in paintings and exploring new material combinations
Experimental Works on Paper – Collagraph Print & mixed media
Assemblage Art – Creating wall-hanging art from old, found and recycled objects.
Venues include: Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Kiama Art Workshops, Sydney Art Space, The Tinkerage, Fern Street Gallery Gerringong and Kiama Art Society as well as in my own studio. W