Terri Brooks is an Australian artist renowned for her minimalistic approach to painting, characterized by a restricted palette and deliberate brushwork. Her exploration of duality manifests through the use of contrasting elements—black and white, dots and lines, as well as horizontal and vertical compositions. The nuances of line play a crucial role in her work, influenced by brush weight, pressure, speed, and intentional deviations from the horizontal and vertical axes of the picture plane. The essence of her art lies in her methodology and material choices, which reflect the painterly patterns and the economy of the Australian tradition of ‘making do.’
Brooks draws inspiration from natural environmental processes, such as weathering, as well as architectural details and 'found marks' observed in urban settings. Her intuitive and repetitive painting process culminates in a sense of harmony and balance within each piece.
A graduate of RMIT University, Brooks earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Ballarat in 2010. In 2014, she participated in "Direction Now," a significant touring exhibition that revisited the landmark "Direction 1" show of 1956, which was pivotal in legitimizing abstraction in Australia. Her international experience includes a 2006 artist workshop in North East Germany and a 2009 exhibition at the State Gallery of Neubrandenburg, officially inaugurated by the Australian Embassy in Berlin.
With over twenty-five solo exhibitions to her name, Brooks has showcased her work in various public, university, commercial, and artist-run spaces both nationally and abroad, including art fairs in the US, UK, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, China, New Zealand, Poland, and Greece. She has been recognized as a finalist for prestigious awards such as the Fleurieu Art Prize, Tattersall’s Landscape Art Prize, Kedumba Drawing Award, and the Alice Prize. Her accolades include a BP Acquisitive Award in 1992 and an Australia Council Grant in 1991. Her work is held in the collections of the Neubrandenburg Museum in Germany and numerous private and corporate collections worldwide.
For over a decade, Brooks' artworks have adorned homes designed by leading interior designers and architects, including two major commissions for the Westin in Perth and Four Points by Sheraton in Central Park, Sydney. She is currently represented in Australia (VIC, QLD, NSW, WA), Connecticut (USA), and the United Kingdom.
In her formative years, Brooks was captivated by the textures of wallpaper in her childhood bedroom—its stains and markings became a source of inspiration. Encouraged by her grandfather, a part-time house painter, she began exploring the beauty of neglect by adding her marks to the walls of her home. This early engagement with paint led to her first large all-white field painting, inspired by the works of Antoni Tàpies and reflecting on her memories of their backyard shed.
Terri Brooks continues to push the boundaries of abstraction, infusing her work with personal narratives and the profound interplay between memory, materiality, and space.
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