Born in 1986, Brooke van Ruiswyk is an Australian visual artist based in Launceston, Tasmania. Van Ruiswyk's practice depicts her close connection to the Tasmanian landscape, where her family has lived and worked as farmers for many generations.
Her paintings are delicately executed using oil paint on canvas through layers and detail. A variety of brushes and palette knives are used to create rich textures and subtle gradients that seamlessly work together to capture a moody ambience.
The cooler seasons can feel prolonged and evoke feelings of isolation and loneliness. Van Ruiswyk embraces this experience as a way to truly see and appreciate her surroundings, believing that there is beauty and spiritual growth to be found in moments of solitude.
"There is a deep connection to place, but also a sense of misplacement and humbling awareness of merely passing through. I am constantly trying to absorb and document my experience, taking photographs and capturing memories that I can then collage together in the studio. The resulting artworks are mostly fiction in nature; the psychological weight of the loneliness and isolation manifests itself as vast farmland under grey ominous skies.'"
Brooke van Ruiswyk's artistic journey has been marked by notable achievements, including receiving Highly Commended in The Doyles Art Award in 2025 and winning the People's Choice Award in the esteemed Henry Jones Art Prize in 2024. Her artworks have also been selected for highly coveted awards, including the Glover Prize in 2023 and 2024, the Lethbridge 20000 Award in 2022 and 2023, the Bay of Fires Art Prize in 2024, and the Tidal.24 Art Award in 2024. These accolades underscore her growing influence and acclaim within the artistic community, as she continues to captivate audiences with her vision of the Tasmanian landscape.
Solo Exhibitions
2025 ‘Memories from the Land’, Manyung Gallery Malvern
2024 'The Places We Know', Manyung Gallery Malvern
Recent Group Exhibitions
2025 ‘Summer Salon’, Poimena Gallery
2025 ‘Summer Art Soiree’, Manyung Gallery Sorrento
2024 ‘Peninsula Panoramas’, Manyung Gallery Flinders
2024 ‘The Collector’s Showcase’, Manyung Gallery Malvern
2024 TATA Exhibition, Devonport Regional Gallery
2024 ‘Spring Fever’, Manyung Gallery Art & Design
2024 Summer Salon, Poimena Gallery
2023 Northern Exposure, Poimena Art Gallery
2023 TATA Exhibition, QVMAG, Salamanca Art Centre
2023 ‘Peninsula Panoramas’, Manyung Gallery Flinders
2022 The Butterfly Effect Art Auction, Poimena Art Gallery
2017 Body of Work, Poimena Art Gallery
2013 Tasmanian Portrait Prize, Sawtooth Gallery
2013 Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre
2010 Tasmanian Portrait Prize, Salamanca Arts Centre,
2010 The Atrium Gallery
Education
2010 Current Art Teacher, various Tasmanian High Schools
2010 Bachelor of Teaching, University of Tasmania,
2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, School of Art,
University of Tasmania, Hobart
2007 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of Art, University of
Tasmania, Hobart
Commendations & Awards:
2025 Painting featured on ‘Selling the OC’ on Netflix
2024 Winner of People’s Choice Award, Henry Jones Art Prize
2024 Finalist in the Glover Prize
2024 Finalist in the Tidal.24 Art Award
2024 Finalist in the Bay of Fires Art Prize
2023 Finalist in the Glover Prize
2023 Finalist in the Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award Salon Des Refuses
2022 Finalist in the Henry Jones Art Prize
2022 Finalist in the Lethbridge 20000 Small Scale Art Award
2022 Finalist in The Doyles Art Award
2022 Fifty Squared Art Prize, Brunswick Street Gallery
2009 Zonta International Award for Young Emerging Artist
2007 Deans Roll of Excellence, University of Tasmania