Overview
Annette Iggulden's career as an artist is as remarkable as it is extensive, and has seen her exhibit art both in Australia and overseas. Annette grew up in a time when women artists were unheard of, yet she managed to overcome the barriers she faced as a woman practicing freely.
Career path and highlights
Annette was born in London in 1942 and arrived in Australia in 1949. She currently lives and works in regional Victoria, and was represented by Watters Gallery (Sydney) prior to its closure in 2018. She has exhibited extensively throughout Australia.
Her work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia and other major collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum in the United Kingdom. Her doctoral exegesis, Women’s Silence: In the Space of Words and Images (2002), is held in the Research Libraries of The TATE (UK), the National Gallery of Australia, The Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney) and other major state libraries. It explores the drive behind her work to find an alternative avenue for her voice (and the voices of other women) having been silenced because of gender. She has been awarded several artist residencies in Australia and overseas.
Interview with Annette
Can you tell us about your time at Deakin? Is there anything you especially remember?
Intellectual vigour and a sense of community.
What has been your journey since finishing your course? Briefly outline your career path prior to your current role.
I completed overseas research at the Bodleian and other major libraries, as well as regular exhibitions and artist residencies in Australia and overseas. I was also a lecturer at the Deakin Warrnambool Campus.
What has been the biggest influence on your career? What inspires you?
The history and practice of Art. I am inspired by the wonderful diversity of artists’ practice.
Have you always wanted to pursue the kind of career you have embarked on?
No. I worked as a registered nurse and midwife for many years and was busy bringing up my four children. I always practiced art but grew up at a time when women artists were not really heard of. It took me many years to overcome barriers, both psychological and in reality, before I gained enough confidence to practice freely. Articulating these issues for women from the past and present became possible through my doctoral research and art practice.
What advice would you give graduates wanting to pursue a similar profession?
Follow your passion and work hard to express it.
Have you faced any particular challenges along the way?
Earning an income and maintaining practice.
What are your passions outside your work?
Family and friends. Music, poetry, literature and the state of the disempowered.
What are you most proud of in your journey to where you are today?
It was a lovely acknowledgement of my work when invited to meet with curators and the Manager of International and Australian Art at the National Gallery of Australia in 2018.
What is something that amazes you?
The extent of human creativity, acts of both kindness and cruelty.