Biography 2024.
Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1958 Ashley Mackevicius discovered photography at the age of 15 while still in high school. This discovery proved to be a lifeline for the academically challenged son of Lithuanian migrants. With a darkroom set up in the laundry and a hunger to experiment and learn this new found ‘hobby’ soon overtook more mundane pursuits such as homework.
In 1975 he enrolled at Prahran College of Arts majoring in photography, where he studied under such icons of Australia photography as Athol Shmith, Paul Cox and John Cato.
Needing to make a living Ashley Mackevicius turned his skills to commercial photography where a career spanning 50 years blossomed. Gaining numerous awards including ‘Australian Photographer of the Year’ his commercial work ran in parallel to his artistic work. Although he was using the same tools and materials he always tried to kept the two disciplines at arms length, arguing that although it was desirable for the artistic to influence the commercial work, the reverse was not.
Frustrated with the limited amount of time he was able to dedicate to his artwork Ashley Mackevicius redressed the balance in 2006, paring down his commercial work to devote his renewed energy to his creative pursuits.
Working in relative isolation, Ashley Mackevicius has, for the past eighteen years, continued to develop his art. To the point now where a body of recent work has emerged that refects his lifelong passion for photography and forms the basis for his desire to expand, refine and evolve as an artist.
He now lives and works in the rural town of Robertson in the Southern Highlands with his wife Amanda and children Max and Eva.
Curriculum Vitae 2022.
Born. 2/5/1958. Melbourne. Australia.
Education.
1966-1975. Attended Caulfield Grammar School.
1976-1980. Attended Prahran College of Advanced Education. Studied photography under Athol Schmit (Head of Department), Paul Cox, and John Cato. Guest lecturers included Lee Friedlander and Pete Turner.
Work Experience.
1981-1983. Worked as photographic assistant for John Street and Rob Imhoff.
1984-1988. Employed as staff magazine photographer by Australian Consolidated Press.
1984-2009. Full time freelance photographer.
Awards.
Australian Photographer of the Year. 1998.
Prize winner. Head On Photo Festival. Australia. 2013.
Finalist. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.
Highly Commended. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.
Honourable Mention. Australian Photography Awards. 2019.
Highly Commended. The Mono Awards. 2020
Exhibitions.
1997. Pod Gallery. Sydney.
2001. ACMP Group show. Sydney Opera House.
2002. ACMP Group show. Customs House. Sydney.
2006. Art Works Gallery. Bowral. NSW.
2015. ‘The Landscape Revisioned’ Exhibition. Bowral Art Gallery. NSW
2019. ‘Artisans of the Southern Highlands’. Group show.
2020. ‘Collective Harvest’. Group show. The Shac Gallery. Robertson. NSW.
2020. Solo exhibition. ‘In a Minor Key’. The Shac Gallery. Robertson. NSW.
Collections.
Australian Portrait Gallery. Canberra.
New South Wales State Library. Sydney.
ACMP Collection No 6. 2000
ACMP Collection No 7. 2001
ACMP Collection No 8. 2002
Various private collections.