Ashley Mackevicius. Biography.

Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1958 Ashley Mackevicius discovered photography at the age of 15 while still in high school. This discovery proved to be a lifeline for the academically challenged son of Lithuanian migrants. With a darkroom set up in the laundry and a hunger to experiment and learn this new found ‘hobby’ soon overtook more mundane pursuits such as homework.

In 1975 he enrolled at Prahran College of Arts majoring in photography, where he studied under such icon of Australia photography as Athol Shmith, Paul Cox and John Cato.

Needing to make a living Ashley Mackevicius turned his skills to commercial photography where a career spanning 40 years blossomed. Gaining numerous awards including ‘Australian Photographer of the Year’ his commercial work ran in parallel to his artistic work.

Ashley’s recent images form the basis for an ongoing study and reinterpretation of the landscape and natural forms. Although the chosen medium is photography based, the influences and vision are more aligned with contemporary landscape painting than pictorial photographic representations. My aim is to challenge the viewer to see beyond the object as a ‘thing - in - itself through the manipulation of scale and the abstraction of recognisable forms.

He now lives and works in the rural town of Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands with his wife Amanda and children Max and Eva.  

Ashley Mackevicius

Curriculum Vitae 2016

Born. 2/5/1958. Melbourne. Australia.

Education.

1966-1975. Attended Caulfield Grammar School.

1976-1980. Attended Prahran College of Advanced Education. Studied photography under Athol Schmit (Head of Department), Paul Cox, and John Cato. Guest lecturers included Lee Friedlander and Pete Turner.

Work Experience.

1981-1983. Worked as photographic assistant for John Street and Rob Imhoff.

1984-1988. Employed as staff magazine photographer by Australian Consolidated Press.

1984-2009. Full time freelance photographer.

Awards.

Australian Photographer of the Year. 1998.

Prize winner. Head On Photo Festival. Australia. 2013.

Finalist. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.

Highly Commended. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.

Honourable Mention. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.

Exhibitions.

1997. Pod Gallery. Sydney.

2001. ACMP Group show. Sydney Opera House.

2002. ACMP Group show. Customs House. Sydney.

2006. Art Works Gallery. Bowral. NSW.

2015. ‘The Landscape Revisioned’ Exhibition. Bowral Art Gallery. NSW

2020. ‘Collective Harvest’. Group show. The Shac Galley. Robertson. NSW.

Collections.

Australian Portrait Gallery. Canberra.

New South Wales State Library. Sydney.

ACMP Collection No 6. 2000

ACMP Collection No 7. 2001

ACMP Collection No 8. 2002

Various private collections.