


Kay Abude standing in front of her artwork WORK WORTH DOING exhibited on the façade of La Trobe Art Institute, Bendigo, Victoria.
Photo: Dr Kent Wilson (November 2020).
Kay Abude is an artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her practice spans diverse media, including sculpture, large-scale installation, photography, performance, video, and silk screen printing. Her works, often adorned with texts, function as provocations and explore themes of work, labour and money. Abude was a studio artist at Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne from 2019 to 2022.
Abude completed a Master of Fine Art (by research) at the Victorian College of the Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne in 2010. She has received numerous awards and grants including a 2021 City of Melbourne Creative Laneways Project grant, a 2020 Play King Foundation grant from the Australian Tapestry Workshop, a 2018 Vic Arts Grant from Creative Victoria and a 2018 HUME Arts Award. Abude was shortlisted for the prestigious 2014 Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture and was the recipient of the Professional Development Award and Civic Choice Award. She has also received a 2014 Vic Arts Grant, a 2013 Australia Council Art Start Grant and an Australian Post-Graduate Award in 2009-2010.
Abude's recent exhibitions include (DON’T) BE AN ARTIST, Gertrude Glasshouse, Collingwood, 2021; (DON’T) BE AN ARTIST, Flash Forward – Creative Laneways Project, The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne, 2021; NEVER WORK/ STOP WORKING, NGV Triennial EXTRA, NGV International, Melbourne, 2021; THE BEAUTY OF ROCK BOTTOM, Stimulus Package, FUSE Festival, City of Darebin, 2021; WORK WORTH DOING, La Trobe Art Institute, Bendigo, Victoria, 2020-21; LOVE THY LABOUR, WFH, STATION Gallery, Sydney, 2020; and POWER, National Anthem, Buxton Contemporary, Southbank, 2019.
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