Know My Abstraction

2025 UNIVERSITY GALLERY

Know My Abstraction
Virginia Cuppaidge  |  Belinda Street  |  Lezlie Tilley  |  Patricia Wilson-Adams

19 July – 6 September 2025

Inspired by the National Gallery of Australia’s 2019 ‘Know My Name’ initiative, a project that has effectively redressed many of the silent, unknown histories of women painters in Australia, this exhibition features the work of four Newcastle based abstract artists.

‘Know My Abstraction’ highlights their unique approaches to abstraction,  all rooted in the Australian landscape. Each artist brings a distinct aesthetic: Cuppaidge’s atmospheric minimalism, Street’s expressive gestures,  Tilley’s geometric process, and Wilson-Adams’ eccentric abstraction.

Although progress has been made in public institutions, women artists continue to be underrepresented in major collections and exhibitions.  This exhibition addresses that ongoing disparity by highlighting the diverse and accomplished practices of women whose work spans decades and continents—work that has received awards and recognition, yet remains overlooked within the broader art historical narrative.

‘Know My Abstraction’ brings together exemplars working in abstraction through their evolving and multifaceted practices—a call to know  their names, know their abstraction.