Since winning the Dawn Slade-Faull Award in 2014, Chelle Destefano has gone from strength to strength. She exhibited in Venice in 2015, Paris and London in 2016, then to Berlin for an arts exchange program, followed by an exhibition in Rome in 2017. Recently, Chelle moved to Melbourne to further her art. She was a finalist in four art prizes in 2019 and (so far) one in 2020, had a major solo exhibition at the Incinerator Gallery, and has been accepted into Masters of Contemporary Art at Melbourne University. And to cap it all off: next year (delayed thanks to Covid-19), she is off to Italy for an artist residency with the prestigious Siena Art Institute!
In addition to her numerous awards, scholarships and residencies, since winning the Dawn Slade-Faull Award in 2014, Chelle’s solo exhibitions include
- 2020 The Deaf Culture, Incinerator Gallery – Boadle Hall, Melbourne
- 2019 The Auslan Movement (performance and exhibition), Melbourne Fringe Festival
- 2019 Bushfires 2009: 10 Year Anniversary, Wonthaggi ArtSpace Gallery, Wonthaggi, Victoria
- 2018 The story of the Baby Moon, FernArtz Gallery, Coburg, Victoria
- 2016 Chelle’s Collections in Paris, Galerie Metanoia, Paris, France
- 2016 Wait of World in SALA Festival, City Library, Rundle Mall, Adelaide
- 2016 Wait of the World, Gasworks, Art Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria
- 2015 Collection of Blue Ghost artworks, Ca’ Zanardi Palezzo, Venice Biennale, Italy
- 2015 Inking History, invited by Thebarton, West Torrens Council Gallery
- 2015 Roam the Blue Ghosts I, House of Bricks, Collingwood, Victoria
- 2014 Rainbow Abstracts Series, Adelaide Convention Centre – SALA Festival
- 2014 Port Noarlunga My Home Town, Port Noarlunga Arts Centre
Her group exhibitions include
- 2021 Art House Housewarming commissioned exhibition, Art House, Victoria
- 2020 Finalist exhibition for Incinerator Art Award, Incinerator Gallery, Melbourne
- 2020 The Emerging Writers Festival film poetry exhibition; co-curated by the Festival & Poetry Film Portal
- 2020 The Platform 2020, Arts Festival – Rivana Arts, Wagga Wagga, NSW
- 2020 Finalist Exhibition for Midsumma Australia Post Art Award, No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne
- 2019 Selected Exhibition, Axiom: A Reimagined Reality, SpACE@Collins, Melbourne
- 2019 Finalist Exhibition for Noel Counihan Commemorative Award, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne
- 2019 Finalist Exhibition for the Lyn McCrea Memorial Drawing Prize, Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD
- 2019 Selected Catalogue Exhibition for Ignite by Rotary Club/Arts Access Victoria, No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne
- 2019 Finalist Exhibition in the Banyule Art Prize, Hatch Contemporary Arts Space, Ivanhoe, Victoria
- 2018 Second prize winner QLD Deaf Arts Exhibition, Juried, Brisbane
- 2018 The Skin Gallery show duo with Luke King, Exhibition of two Deaf artists
- 2018 The Other Fair, Sydney
- 2017 Rome Arts Expo Exhibition with MUSA International Art Space, Me & Baby Moon portrait, Rome, Italy
- 2017 Berlin Pop Up Exhibition with Corry Siw Mirski by Arts Access Australia, Brotfabrik Art Gallery Space, Berlin, Germany
- 2015 Juried Art Show: A Single Grain of Rice, Gallery Metanoia, Paris, France
- 2014 Christmas Exhibition, Art Images, Norwood, SA
