Sian Edwards was born in Sydney in 1982. From 2003 – 2005 Sian completed an Advanced Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design at Enmore TAFE, Sydney before moving to Melbourne in 2006. In 2009 she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Jewellery and Metals at Monash University and received the Dr Anne Lewis Award. Sian was selected for the Filippo Raphael Fresh! Award 2010 where she received the Artichoke Subscription Award (Craft Victoria).
In 2010, Sian was selected for the Studio 20/17 Graduate Award comprising of a solo exhibition a study of birds at Studio 20/17, Sydney. Sian has participated in numerous group exhibitions including Tafe Prize, 2003, Downing centre, Sydney; Contemporary Australian Silver and Metal Award BUDA, 2007, Castle Maine; Upsetting the Ingrained, 2008, Jam Factory, Adelaide; Fresh!,2010, Craft Victoria, Melbourne; Pieces of Fate, 2011, Pieces of Eight, Melbourne. Sian is a recent recipient of the Australia Council ArtStart grant.
“My work draws inspiration from points of detail, in ornament, repetition and pattern from both natural and cultural environments. I am interested in the perceived binary between nature and culture and the points at which they cross over. In the rubbish that is chosen as a building material for a bird’s nest or the tree that slowly engulfs a wire fence. My desire for a ‘closer look’ has resulted in my considered approach to making. I access museum collections in aid of supporting my work technically. These specimens have become an important resource and inspiration for my work. I see a lot of the pieces I create as studies of nature/culture.”
