About
Dave Carswell is a photographer currently based in lutruwita/Tasmania. His photographic practice is rooted in documentary image making with his interests motivated by the intersection between nature, humanity and the built environment. Carswell’s work is concerned with the manner of anthropological intervention on the built landscape with a recent focus towards public space and the way economic, social and ecological influences shape contested spaces.
His work has been shown in solo and group shows internationally and nationally as well as in festivals and print. In 2024 Carswell won the Devonport Regional Gallery’s acquisitive Tidal Art Prize with the image 'Flocculation #15’. Work from this series was also awarded the Judges Commendation at the 2024 Clip Award hosted by the Perth Centre for Photography as well as being shortlisted for the Mullins Conceptual Photographic Prize and the Canberra Contemporary Photographic Prize. In recent years Carswell has also been shortlisted for other art prizes including the Australian Photobook Awards, Olive Cotton Award (portraiture), Wyndham Art Prize, Heysen Landscape Prize, Perth Centre for Photography’s IRIS (portraiture) Award as well as the Moran Prize.
In 2017 Carswell published his first book 'Dancing in the Shadows', an examination of the battle for public space in the Philippines through the eye of the basketball hoop. The book was launched with an exhibition as well as being featured online and in print through It's Nice That. Wired, c41 Magazine, The Heavy Collective, Lyfstyl Magazine, This is Franchise & Unrated.
The first edition of the book is now sold out.
Other selected online features; Plain Magazine, Laatikkomo & Milk Bar Magazine.
Selected Exhibitions;
Solo
2024 (April) - Confluence - Sawtooth ARI, Launceston.
2024 (January) - Flocculations - Chennai Photo Biennale, India.
2023 - Grant me the serenity - Hillvale Gallery (Naarm/Melbourne).
2023 - Flocculations - Good Grief Studios, nipaluna / Hobart.
2018 - Tomorrow Will Be Postponed - Obscura Festival, Penang, Malaysia.
2018 - Dancing in the Shadows - Spares, Collingwood, Melbourne.
2017 - Elvis is Alive - Elvis Festival, Parkes, NSW.
2010 - The Outliers - Three Bags Full, Melbourne.
Group
2024 - à trois - s.p.a.c.e. Gallery, Launceston.
2024 - Summer Salon - Poimena Gallery, Launceston.
2023 - Edges - Framelines, Launceston.
2022 - Dragline Silk - Press West, Queenstown.
2021 - Portrait of an interior - QBank Gallery, The Unconformity, Queenstown.
2021 - Portrait of an interior - Poimena Gallery, Launceston.
2018 - Laatikkomo - Six Degrees of Photography, Jyväskylä, Finland.
2018 - Optika - Kingston Arts Centre, Melbourne.
2012 - Unsensored - Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne.
2011 - Just Don't Call it Street - Ballarat Foto Biennale.
2011 - Unsensored - Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne.
2010 - Unsensored - Collingwood Gallery, Melbourne.
Awards
2024 - Tidal Art Prize winner - Devonport Regional Gallery
2024 - Clip award - Judges commendation - Perth Centre for Photography
2024 - Canberra Contemporary Photographic Prize finalist - Photo Access
2023 - Mullins Conceptual Photographic Prize finalist - Muswellbrook Gallery
2022 - Tidal Art Prize finalist - Devonport Regional Gallery
2022 - Clip award finalist (Landscape) - Perth Centre for Photography
2022 - Wyndham Art Prize finalist - Wyndham Art Gallery.
2022 - Australian Photobook Award finalist - Photo Collective Australia
2022 - Bay of Fires Art Prize finalist - Bay of Fires Festival, St Helens, Tasmania
2021 - Photo Collective Stories finalist - Photo Collective Australia
2021 - Bay of Fires Art Prize finalist - Bay of Fires Festival, St Helens, Tasmania
2020 - Heysen Prize finalist (Landscape) - Hahndorf Academy
2020 - Stories in September - Overall winner for ‘Working Memory’
2019 - Olive Cotton Award finalist (Judges Highly Commended) (Portraiture) - Tweed Regional Gallery.
2019 - Clip Award finalist (Landscape) - Perth Centre for Photography.
2019 - Moran Prize semi finalist.
2018 - Iris Award finalist (Portraiture) - Perth Centre for Photography.
2018 - Moran Prize semi finalist.
