Martine Emdur

Lives & Works – Sydney (Eora) 

A multi-award winning artist, Emdur has been exhibiting for over twenty five years with her enigmatic and evocative depictions of Bondi and the surrounding oceans capturing the imagination of art admirers around the world. Observing the ocean is a daily ritual that perpetually nurtures Emdur's practice, and she invites us to share in the splendour of the coastal offerings.

Working in fine layers of oils, Emdur's work explores the depth of the ocean, its vast hidden worlds and the innate ways in which it connects us to the rhythms of the Earth. Water currents, ethereal rays of light and rich oceanic blues, emerald greens and cerulean embrace her figures who swim and float in suspended animation. They exist between the passing of time, where moments of stillness and meditative silence give space for considered breath and presence. The joy of the ocean and its weightless seduction is captured with painterly affection and skill reminiscent of the Old Dutch Masters.

Emdur has exhibited widely across Australia and overseas including in Hong Kong and the United States. She has been a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize twice (2003, 2001) and been selected for the Salon dés Refuses at SH Ervin Gallery (2000). She has been a finalist in various art prizes including the Portia Geach Memorial Award (2005), Mosman Art Prize (2000,1999), Waverly Art Prize (1999, 2001) and the SCEGGS Redlands Art Prize where she was awarded the People's Choice (2000). She has won the King's School Art Prize (2002) and been awarded the People's Choice Award numerous times (2002, 2001,1999). In 2018, she held a major exhibition 'Shimmer' at Manly Art Gallery & Museum.