About
Julia Holden is a multidisciplinary artist based on Waiheke Island, Aotearoa New Zealand, with a project-based practice that integrates traditional painting with performance, photography, audio, and new media.
My work is deeply rooted in community engagement, shaped by a transformative period living in post-earthquake Christchurch, which redirected my focus toward socially conscious and participatory outcomes. Developing my innovative, project-based approach, I create interconnected, multi-disciplinary portrait projects to foster meaningful connections within and about the communities I encounter. I value collaboration and inclusivity.
I have enjoyed many Artist in Residence opportunities and exhibited extensively across New Zealand and Australia. Notable presentations of Performance Paintings held at prestigious public institutions such as City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi and the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. A year-long artist residency at Tylee Cottage in Whanganui culminated in the acclaimed exhibition Her Indoors, commemorating 125 years of women’s suffrage in Aotearoa New Zealand—the first nation to grant women the right to vote. This significant project was supported by the CreativeNZ Suffrage Fund.
I gained Bachelor of Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland, and Master of Fine Arts by Research from Monash University, Melbourne (2011). My work is featured in numerous contemporary art awards in both New Zealand and Australia, with pieces held in public and private collections.
As my practice continues to evolve, I enjoy exploring the intersection of art, community, and social history, to create works that resonate with both intimacy and universal relevance.