Tess Dawson is a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist whose work explores the quiet undercurrents of the everyday. Drawing on the language of realism, she paints sparsely populated suburban and urban spaces imbued with a subtle tension—evoking memory, uncertainty, and the quiet passage of time.
Influenced by architecture, industrial design, and the curiousities of everyday life, Dawson uses light, colour, and perspective to transform familiar environments into scenes of structured stillness and reflection. Her compositions sit between observation and invention, offering glimpses into moments that feel both distant and familiar.
Rooted in the belief that ordinary places hold deep emotional resonance, Dawson’s practice invites viewers to inhabit these liminal spaces and consider the stories—real or imagined—that hover just beneath the surface.
Exhibitions
2025 Solo exhibition, Light, dark, light again, Marios, Fitzroy VIC
2024 Group exhibition, Summertime, Arts Partners, Albury NSW
2023 Solo exhibition, Comings and Goings, Marios, Fitzroy VIC
2022 Group exhibition, Streets of My Town, Weswal Gallery, Tamworth NSW
2020 Solo exhibition, All the things that happened, Thirroul Gallery, Thirroul NSW
2014 Group exhibition, The Full Picture, Nicholas Building, Melbourne VIC
Awards
2023 Winner of Best Non-Traditional work under $1.5K: Camberwell Art Show
2021 Winner of Shortlist Award: Southern Buoy Studios Portrait Prize
2021 Finalist: Southern Buoy Studios Landscape Prize
2014 Winner of Best Emerging Artist award: Roberts McCubbin Art Show
Murals
2022 Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital Children’s Ward
2022 Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital Special Care Nursery
2021 Eastern Health, Angliss Hospital Maternity Ward
2015 Club Retro, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne