eX De Medici

Bio

eX de Medici (b. 1959) was born in the Riverina area of rural southern New South Wales in the township of Coolamon, though largely grew up in Canberra. De Medici studied at the Canberra School of Art, where she specialised in performance, installation and photography. Since then, de Medici's practice has broadened to incorporate photography, painting and drawing. De Medici creates finely detailed drawings and watercolours, reflecting her interest in natural history illustration, especially watercolours. Her work is predominantly known for the incorporation of techniques and methods from her entwined practice as a tattooist. The artist got her first tattoo in 1988 in Melbourne and from this point focused increasingly on the application of line and form on the human body, reflecting an ongoing interest in the vanitas tradition. Common motifs in her works include skulls, guns and flora. During the 1980s, when fears of HIV/AIDS were circulating in Australia and internationally, she exhibited images of tattooed skin next to framed blood samples and the stained swabs that were the byproducts of the process of inking the body. Works utilising blood and swabs such as Godscience V (Stars) and VI were exhibited in the National Gallery of Australia's landmark 1994 exhibition Don't Leave Me This Way: Art in the Age of AIDS and subsequently acquired in 1996. De Medici's work is represented in the collection of the NGA and most State galleries, and she has exhibited extensively within Australia and internationally.

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