Claire Beausein
“I love the repetition of textures and patterns on all scales, the desert dunes and dry riverbeds from the air and the miniscule patterns in the sand; these things speak to me of an overarching design to life.”
Claire Beausein is a distinguished contemporary Australian artist who has crafted an exceptional career grounded in handmade paper and assemblage, drawing deeply on her connection to the land and the philosophies of East and West. Born in 1962 in Wangaratta, Victoria, she earned a textiles degree from the Sydney College of the Arts in 1984 before relocating to Broome in Western Australia in the early 1990s. For over twenty-five years she lived and worked there, developing an artistic practice that reflects the raw beauty of the West Kimberley through abstract, tactile works in paper—emphasizing indigo dye, stitching, sumi‑nagashi ink, and wild silk cocoons—evoking both the micro and macro patterns in nature.
Her artistic reputation is marked by over twenty solo exhibitions in Australia and abroad, numerous regional and national awards, and several prestigious residencies. In 2022 she won the $25,000 St John of God Health Care prize as the overall winner of the Mandorla Art Award for her work Chalice, a luminous assemblage of over 600 wild silkworm cocoons stitched and pinned onto cotton rag paper, symbolizing metamorphosis and spiritual transformation. Her commissions include large-scale installations for luxury hotels in Perth—the Ritz‑Carlton, Intercontinental, and Westin—and her work has been enriched by residencies in Switzerland (Paper Mill and Natural History Museum, Basel) and Japan (Awagami Paper Factory, Shikoku), embedding international craft traditions and contemplative philosophies into her evolving practice.
About the Artist
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Born 1962 in Wangaratta, VIC. Lives and works in Broome, WA
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Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023
Elixir – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2022
A Textural Survey – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2021
Gilgai – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2018
Pure Land – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2016
Uncommon Thread – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2014
Watermark: Markings of Nature – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, WA
2013
Reef Matrix – Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth City, WA
2012
Still Life – The Natural History Museum, Basel, Switzerland
2011
Beloved – ARTspace7, Broome, WA
2009
Oper-Arte – ARTspace7, Broome, WA
2007
Artopia – ARTspace7, Broome, WA
The River – Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2006
Claire Beausein – New Works – The Bay Gallery, Broome, WA
Focus on Claire Beausein – Gecko Gallery, Broome, WA
2005
EON: Elements of North – Fremantle Arts Centre, Main Gallery, Fremantle, WA
Moire Coast – Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW
Elements of North – Pearlers Row Gallery, Broome, WA
2004
Claire Beausein – Monsoon Gallery, Broome, WA
Pindan Country – Beatty Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2003
Silent Echo: Recent Works by Claire Beausein – Short Street Gallery, Broome, WA
2002
Undercurrent – Monsoon Gallery, Broome, WA
2001
Claire Beausein – Recent Works – Alta Gallery, Sydney, NSW
2000
Studio 7 – Walcott Street, Broome, WA
1999
The Day – Hollywood Gallery, Sydney, NSW
1992
Land, City and Sea – Green Iguana Café, Sydney, NSW
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Women of the West – Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth, WA
2019
Water: Above and Below – Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth, WA
2018
50 x 50 – Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth, WA
2016
Contextual – Claire Beausein and Stephen Eastaugh, ARTspace7, Broome, WA
2015
Casting Light – Beausein, Joubert and Reish, Linton and Kay Galleries, Perth City, WA
2012
Summertime – Linton and Kay Galleries, Subiaco, Perth, WA
Take 4 – Gecko Gallery, Broome, WA
2011
Summer Days – Chrysalis Gallery, East Melbourne, VIC
2009
Invited Artist, Mine Own Executioner – Mundaring Arts Centre, Mundaring, WA
2007
Great Southern Land – Beatty Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW
2006
Blaze – Beatty Gallery, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW
North East Sculpture Event – Wangaratta, VIC
2003
Invited Artist, Women Working for Women – Moore’s Building, Fremantle, WA
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Awards
2022
Overall Winner, The Mandorla National Art Award
2016
Textiles Award, Shinju Art Awards, WA
2014
Finalist, The Waterhouse Natural Science Award, The South Australian Museum, Adelaide
Finalist and Selected to Tour, The Mandorla Art Award
Highly Commended, Watercolour, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2013
Best Work by a Non-Indigenous Artist, Hedland Art Awards, WA
Works on Paper Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
2012
Finalist, The Waterhouse Natural Science Award, The South Australian Museum, Adelaide
2011
Highly Commended, Perth Royal Show, WA
2010
Finalist, The Waterhouse Natural Science Award, The South Australian Museum, Adelaide
Finalist and Selected to Tour, The Mandorla Art Award
Overall Winner, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Best 3D Work, Hedland Art Awards, WA
2009
Overall Winner, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Best 3D Work, Hedland Art Awards, WA
Oil/Acrylic Prize, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
Mixed Media Prize, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2008
Overall Winner, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2007
People’s Choice, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
2006
Inaugural Horizon Power Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Highly Commended, Drawing/Pastel, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2005
Works on Paper Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Highly Commended, Watercolour, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2003
Overall Winner, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Works on Paper Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Watercolour Prize, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
2002
Works on Paper Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Artistcare Award, ‘She’ Walker St. Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
Mixed Media Prize, Kimberley Art Prize, WA
Highly Commended, Oil/Acrylic, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
1999
Works on Paper Award, Shinju Art Awards, Broome, WA
Collections
The Mandorla Art Award Collection, WA
Wollongong University, NSW
Shire of West Kimberley, WA
Shire of Broome, WA
Numerous Private Collections
65 x 120cm