Bill’s Bio
Bill Sampson has a broad contemporary drawing, painting, sculpture and more recently, photographic and video practice.
Bill attained a BFA (Hons) degree at the Victorian College of the Arts and as a recipient of the Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship studied at The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London before returning to the University of Melbourne to gain a PhD in 2007 with a thesis titled ‘Prettybad: towards an aesthetics of the expressionless.’
Bill lectured in Critical and Theoretical Studies in the School of Fine Arts and taught life drawing at the VCA. Bill held solo exhibitions annually (primarily at MARS Gallery, Windsor) over a lengthy period.
Bill’s work has been exhibited at the Korean International Art Fair; has been a finalist in the National Works on Paper Prize, appeared in several books, and awarded a Grant for New Work by the Australia Council. Closer to home Bill has been a finalist in the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, Bendigo Gallery, and the Len Fox Painting Award, Castlemaine Gallery in 2016 and 2024.
And last year he was honoured to work with Dr. Deborah Wardle to illustrate her book ‘Subterranean Imaginaries and Groundwater Narratives’,(2024) Oxon and NY, Routledge.
Most recently, in 2026, two images and a poem were published in ‘Wandering Grasses’, the inaugural journal of the Castlemaine Zen Centre. 
BILL SAMPSON CV
Born: Melbourne, and lives on unceded Dja Dja Warrung land at Guildford, Australia.
(central rural Victoria near Castlemaine).
Contact: www.billsampson.au bill@billsampson.au
Mob. 0412 401 339 International +61 412 401 339
Selected projects (excluding exhibitions):
2026 Two images and a poem were published in ‘Wandering Grasses’, the inaugural journal of the Castlemaine Zen Centre. ISBN 978-0-646-73717-1
2024 Meditative ephemeral drawing. Performance/video.
2023 Ilustrating Dr. Deborah Wardle’s book ‘Subterranean Imaginaries and
Groundwater Narratives’,(2024) Oxon and NY, Routledge.
2021 – Horizon Project, The Third Dive ‘Ascension’ Exhibited over 3 months;
– ‘Inked plates: yes but, no but and where do we go to from here.’ Printing plates prepared, drawn on, etched, and inked – and that was it!
2020 The Second Dive – the artist is trapped by their materials. Performance/video
The First Dive – and the artist is one with their materials. Performance/video
2019 – ‘Betty’ in search of essence. An investigation through paint behind a glass
‘canvas’, and by essay, of Gerhard Richter’s portrait of his daughter Betty (albeit her head is turned away) and how Richter’s MO may shed light on how he chose to fulfill his series “Birkinau” (2014).
– A new way to draw – unearthing or ‘under-earthing’ new drawing.
2014–24 Room-sized camera obscura, and extreme exposure ‘can cams’ as other ways
of conceptualising and visualising time and the Moments missed. Printed and Exhibited in Pretty Ugly, group exhibition, Lot 19, 2024.
2012-15 Teaching Life-Drawing and Lecturing in Critical & Theoretical Studies, VCA.
Education:
2007 PhD (Melb), Victorian College of the Arts
2004 Specialist Research Development Programme, The Slade, University College London
2002 Bachelor Fine Art (Honours), VCA
2001 Bachelor Fine Art, Drawing, VCA
2000 The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2024 What is this, Opus30 Gallery, Castlemaine, Vic.. 3D tour of the Exhibition at https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=kmCcFouVid3&help=1
2021 Horizon, FALT space & street, Castlemaine, Vic.
2015 Reproduction Mutation Selection, Wagner Gallery, Paddington, NSW
2014 Predicament, [MARS] Gallery, Windsor, Melbourne
2013 Chance Upon Nothing, [MARS] Gallery, Port Melbourne
2011 Longer Little Deaths, VAC Latrobe Uni. Gallery, Bendigo
Chance Encounters, [MARS] Gallery, Port Melbourne
2010 Little Deaths, [MARS] Gallery, Port Melbourne
2009 rocoCoZenism, [MARS] Gallery
2007 Pretty Bad, Margaret Lawrence Gallery and [MARS] Gallery
2006 Gorgeous but…, Linden St. Kilda Contemporary Art Centre
2004 Perfidy, Woburn Square, London
Perfidy, Canterbury, UK
2003 Sunyata, Linden Contemporary Art Gallery, St. Kilda
2001 Projected Importance, Gipps Street Gallery, Richmond
2000 Flag Waving, The Cruciform Building flagpole, UCL, London.
Selected Group Exhibitions from 2001:
2026 Joy, Lot 19 Gallery, Castlemaine, Victoria. Curated by Suzanne Donisthorpe.
2024 Pretty/Ugly, Lot 19 Gallery, Castlemaine, Curated by Suzanne Donisthorpe.
2017 9 x 5, VCA 150th Anniversary, Margaret Lawrence Gallery
2016 Len Fox Painting Award, Castlemaine Art Museum (shortlisted)
2015 Lorne Sculpture Biennale (shortlisted) Darebin Art Prize (shortlisted)
Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize (shortlisted)
40 x 40, Wagner Gallery, Paddington, NSW
2014 Mars goes West, Freemantle WA
40 x 40, Wagner Gallery, Paddington, NSW
2013 After the Dreaming – Site I: Battaini’s Place: a place, a home, a rupture, On country installation, Tara Dale, Vic…
2012 National Works on Paper Prize, Mornington Art Gallery (shortlisted)
A4, West Space Gallery, Melbourne
2011 Ascending Fates, Korean International Art Fair, Seoul, Korea
2010 Rick Amor Drawing Prize Exhibition, Ballarat Gallery (shortlisted)
‘Lot this (8 editions)’, curated by Dr S Mestrom, Westspace Gallery, Melbourne
2009 I saw myself in your eyes, Jugglers Art Space, Brisbane, Qld.
2008 Splat, Albury Regional Gallery, NSW
2006 On, Cover Up Gallery, London http://www.coverup.org.uk/events/SRDP%20-%20On/SRDP-OnIndex.html
2005 UMPA Art Prize (winner), George Paton Gallery, Melbourne Uni.
2003 The Keith & Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship, (winner).
2002 Athenaeum Club, Melbourne (winner)
Transit Narratives, “Le Venezie” Treviso, Italy
2001 Wallara Travelling Fellowship and Exhibition, VCA Gallery (shortlisted)
Collections:
Artbank, 2008
National Australia Banking Corporation Ltd. 2005
Victorian College of the Arts, 2002
Western Mining Corporation Ltd. 2000
Athenaeum Club, Melbourne 2003
Rusden College, Monash University 2005
Private collections in Australia, Germany, Korea, NZ, and the UK
Grants & Awards:
2024 ‘Winner, ‘The (egg)cup Award’, for two poems read at Poeticas, Castlemaine.
2024 Len Fox Painting Award (shortlisted), Castlemaine Art Museum
2016 Len Fox Painting Award (shortlisted), Castlemaine Art Museum
2015 Darebin Art Prize (shortlisted)
2015 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, (shortlisted) Bendigo Gallery
2012 National Works on Paper Prize (shortlisted)
2011 $10k Grant for New Work by the Australia Council
2010 Rick Amor Drawing Prize (shortlisted)
2008 Williamstown Art Prize (shortlisted)
2006 Vulcan Steel Art Prize
2005 University of Melbourne Post-graduate Award Art Prize
2004 West Dean College Residency, UK
2003 $25k The Keith & Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship
2004 Aust. Postgrad. Scholarship and Research Training Place
2002 Athenaeum Club Visual Art Award
2000 The Gary Fell Award (for drawing).
Selected Publications:
2026 Radio interview with Suzanne Donisthorpe, 94.9 Maine FM
2024 Interview by Bonny Cassidy for 92.2 Maine FM https://www.mixcloud.com/MainFm/makebelieve-13-interview-with-bill-sampson/
2015 Broadcast/interview, Diary of an Artist, 4 Pts, ABC RN621.
2009 Bill Sampson, publisher, co-editor and contributor Isnt it it, Melbourne.
2008 Bill Sampson, publisher, co-editor and contributor, A VOM POW DT POI: another incomplete compendium of the contemporary vocabulary of art.
2007 Bill Sampson, publisher, co-editor and contributor, it’s (sic): an incomplete compendium of the contemporary vocabulary of art, Melb, ISBN 978-0-646-48207-1
2004 Cet. Par., joint editor and contributor.