Profile
Christopher Langton is a sculptor, painter and installation artist based in Naarm/ Melbourne, Australia. He makes innovative use of materials and profoundly engages with themes of pop culture, science fiction, and the interplay between biological forms and technological influences. Langton's works are often monumental, blending vivid aesthetics with unsettling undertones, which invoke a nuanced reaction of delight mingled with dread. His art frequently features oversized, playful sculptures and inflatables that resemble toys or cartoon figures, executed with a twist that suggests deeper, sometimes darker meanings.
Langton's creative process is technically intricate, involving custom-built machinery, which he designs and constructs himself. His exhibitions often include large-scale installations that create immersive environments, encouraging viewers to explore and interact with the space in thought-provoking ways. His work has been showcased extensively both in Australia and internationally, with significant exhibitions at renowned venues and works held in numerous private and public collections including: The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Monash University Art Collection, Melbourne, The National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, The Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria, and Lyon House Museum, Melbourne, Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne and Hazelhurst Arts Centre in New South Wales.
Recent significant works include his "Colony" series, where themes of viral invasion and space colonization merge to form landscapes filled with microbial and celestial forms, reflecting both the fear and fascination of the unknown. These themes extend into his more recent projects like "Colonies" and “Bad Biology”, which further delve into these intersections, adding layers of complexity regarding our ecological and social interconnections.
Langton's influence extends beyond the gallery, as his work also touches on environmental and technological concerns, questioning the impact of human activity on our planet and beyond. His approach to art is not just about form and spectacle but also involves a critical engagement with contemporary issues, making his work relevant and resonant in today's cultural and scientific discourse.
Christopher Langton is represented by Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne.
Curriculum Vitae
Born
Johannesburg, South Africa; lives and works in Melbourne, Australia
Education
1991-92 Graduate Diploma in Fine Art, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia
Solo Exhibitions
2024 AFTERGLOW, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
2022 Bad Biology, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne Art Fair, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Melbourne
2021 Colonies, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Gymea, NSW
2019 Colony, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
2018 Phantasmagoria, Melbourne White Night, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne
2014 Christopher Langton, This Is Not A Life Saving Device, McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, Mornington, VIC
2011 Animal Logic, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
2010 Beyond, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
2009 New Work, Ryan Renshaw Gallery, Brisbane
Plastorama, 24HR Art, Darwin
2007 Pliant, Ryan Renshaw Gallery, Brisbane
2006 Simian Cutie, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
bLOW, Criterion Galleries, Hobart
New Work, Harrison Galleries, Sydney
2005 Plasticity, Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
2004 Bloated, Distended and Deformed, Criterion Gallery, Hobart
Solid Air, Brian Moore Gallery, Sydney
2003 PrOn, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
Winona's Wonderland, Victoria Gardens, Melbourne
2002 Buoys, Monash Gallery of Art, Melbourne
Sunflowers, Cairns Festival, Cairns, QLD
2000 Spinout, Sydney Festival, Queen Victoria Building & The Strand Arcade, Sydney
1999 Puffed Up, Australian High Commission, Singapore
1998 Pneumatic, Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, VIC
Whoever you are, Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth
1997 XLR8, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
1996 Transmission, The Basement Gallery, Melbourne
Phantasmagoria, Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa, QLD
1995 Caution: this is not a Lifesaving Device, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
Sugar the Pill, The Basement Gallery, Melbourne
1994 Souvenir, The Basement Project, Melbourne
Detoxification Zone, The Basement Project, Melbourne
1992 I Love You, Linden Gallery, Melbourne
Collaborations + Joint Projects
2003 Premonition, (with Martine Corompt and Ian Haig), Span Galleries, Melbourne
2002 Modified Terrain, (with Patricia Piccinini) IMA, Brisbane
2000 Reeds, (with Garth Paine + Graeme Gerrard) Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Festival, Melbourne
Plastic Life, (with Patricia Piccinini) Level 2 Project Space, Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney
1996 Tour de Force, (with John Meade), 200 Gertrude St, Melbourne
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Conflated (Touring Exhibition), Horsham Regional Art Gallery, VIC
2023 PLANT/LIFE, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Collingwood Yards, VIC
Conflated (Touring Exhibition), Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, NSW
Conflated (Touring Exhibition), Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, VIC
Conflated (Touring Exhibition), Logan Art Gallery, QLD
Conflated (Touring Exhibition), Deakin University Art Gallery, VIC
2022 Conflated (Touring Exhibition), ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, ACT
2019 Simon Denny: Mine, MONA, Hobart, TAS
2017 Sculpture at Barangaroo, Barangaroo, Sydney, NSW
@50 Part Three, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
9 x 5 NOW, Margaret Lawrence Gallery, Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne
Beyond Belief, Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst, NSW
2016 Summer Pop, MAMA Murray Art Museum Albury, Albury, NSW
Tolarno Galleries at Spring1883, Windsor Hotel, Melbourne
Geelong After Dark, Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, VIC
2013 Melbourne Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
2012 McClelland Sculpture Survey & Award 2012, Langwarrin, VIC
2009 Soft Sculpture, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Trouble in Toyland, Counihan Gallery, Melbourne
Lorne Sculpture Exhibition, Lorne, VIC
2008 Bright and Shiny, Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich, QLD Dream Festival, Birrarung Mar, Melbourne
2007 eye to “I”- the self in recent art, Ballarat Art Gallery, Ballarat, VIC
2006 Dream On, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Gymea, NSW
Chicks, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne
Creepy Crawlies, Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich, QLD
Larger than Life, Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, VIC
2005 National Sculpture Prize, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
C/town bling, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown, NSW
2004 Swoon, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
By Male Order, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, Wagga Wagga, NSW
Arts About, Public Sculpture Event, Brisbane, QLD
2003 This Was The Future…Australian Sculpture of the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s + Today, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
McClelland Survey & Award 2003, McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, VIC
Fair Game, Response Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Experimenta House of Tomorrow, Black Box, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne
Hothouse: the flower in contemporary art, A Monash University Museum of Art Touring Exhibition
Home & Away, Place and Identity in Recent Australian Art, A Monash University Museum of Art Touring Exhibition
Inflatable Art, Global Arts Link, Ipswich, QLD
2002 Crime Scenes, Monash Gallery of Art, Melbourne
Botanica, Gus Fisher Gallery, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Wallflower, National Gallery on Russel, Melbourne
Prime, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
2001 Our Place, Issues of Identity in Recent Australian Art, Palazzo Vaj, Prato, Italy
Botanica, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand
2000 All Creatures Great and Small, Gold Treasury Museum, Melbourne
Facsimile, Plimsoll Gallery, University of Tasmania, Hobart
The Persistence of Pop, Touring Regional Victoria
1999 Facsimile, LAC Gallery, Caracas, Venezuela
Volume and Form, Singapore Art Museum and other venues, Singapore
The Persistence of Pop, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne
Sets and Series, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
1998 Osaka Triennale 1998, Osaka Contemporary Art Centre, Osaka, Japan
Recent Painting, Prints and Sculpture from Tolarno Galleries, Hamilton Art Gallery, Hamilton, VIC
All this and Heaven too, Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
hype, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
Cartoons And Caricature In Contemporary Art, Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong and touring regional Victoria.
1997 Wild Kingdom, IMA, Brisbane
Multiplication: the multiple object in art, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne
Deacons Graham & James / Arts 21 Award, University Gallery, The University of Melbourne Museum of Art, Melbourne
World Without End, St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
RAPPORT: Eight Artists from Singapore and Australia, Canberra School of Art Gallery, Canberra and the IMA, Brisbane
The Andy Factor, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
Animal Instincts, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Nothing Natural, Plimsoll Gallery, University of Tasmania, Hobart and touring regional Victoria and South Australia
1996 Basement, Teststrip, Auckland, New Zealand
Short, Sharp and Very Current, fifth experimenta media arts festival, Lonsdale Street Power Station, Melbourne
Sculpture 3, Austin Campus & Repatriation Campus, Austin & Repatriation Medical Centre, Melbourne
The Field, Fifth Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
RAPPORT: Eight Artists from Singapore and Australia, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore and Monash University Gallery, Melbourne
Nothing Natural, The Basement Gallery, Melbourne
Ruins in Reverse, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
1995 Lovers, Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
Decadence, 200 Gertrude St, Melbourne
Steam, Stop 22, Melbourne
Past its shelf life, Meridian Gallery, Melbourne
Blow up, Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery, Sydney
Continuum and Contrast, McClelland Gallery, Langwarrin, Victoria
1994 bad toys, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne
Humanetics, New Media Network, Melbourne
Two Weeks, Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne
Critical Mass, Arts Victoria Gallery, Melbourne
Fourth Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
Sculpture for Heidelberg, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne
Plastiche, The Basement Project, Melbourne
1993 Disparities, The University of Melbourne Museum of Art, Ian Potter Gallery, Melbourne
The Art of Collecting, Linden Gallery St Kilda and Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, Victoria
Derr 1, ether ohntitel, Melbourne
The Forests of Ourselves, Interventions in City Spaces, An independent project associated with the Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial, City Square, Melbourne
Parcel Post Show, Room 4, Linden Gallery, Melbourne
1992 Non-aligned Sculptors Show, Third Australian Contemporary Art Fair, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
Objects of Desire, Panorama Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne
1991 GAS Outdoor Sculpture Show, Gasworks Park, Melbourne
Awards + Grants
2012 The McClelland Achievement Prize
2004 Arts Victoria Project Grant
2002 Cinemedia Digital Media Fund
2001 Australia Council Studio Residency (New York)
2000 Arts Victoria Project Grant
1998 Arts Victoria Travel Grant
1997 Australia Council New Work Grant
1996 Arts Victoria Project Grant
1992 Mr & Mrs Peter McLennan Award(VCA)
1991 Sir Russel Drysdale Memorial Prize(VCA)
Collections
Australian War Memorial Art Collection
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Monash University Collection, Melbourne
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria
Mildura Arts Centre, Mildura, Victoria
Lyon Housemuseum, Melbourne
and numerous other private collections
Selected Bibliography
Kirsty Grant, PLANT/LIFE (exhibition catalogue), Arts Project Australia, 2023
Kelly Gellatly, Christopher Langton: Bad Biology (exhibition catalogue), Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne Art Fair, 2022
Christopher Langton, Christopher Langton, Artist Profile, Issue 57, 2021
Amy Prcevich, Audience as explorer in Christopher Langton’s Colonies (exhibition catalogue), Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Gymea, NSW, 2021
Sophie Knezic, The Shared Ecologies of Microbial Life (exhibition catalogue), Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, 2019
Hannah Francis, Keeping it unreal: art and apps combine in new installation, The Age, 7 September 2019
Georgia Frances King, Animal Logic (exhibition catalogue), Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, 2011
Robert Nelson, Avatars signal an uncanny reality, The Age, Melbourne, 14 December 2011
Robert Nelson, A Look Back at the Future, The Age, 12 November 2003
Zara Stanhope, All the things you are (exhibition catalogue), Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 2003
Anonda Bell, Fair Game (exhibition catalogue), National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne, 2003
Sara Givins, Functional Fantasy, (inside) Interior Review, issue 29, 2003
Gabriella Coslovich, Inflatable object of desire, The Age, 19 July 2003
Philip Brophy, Oooh, you’re hot (exhibition catalogue), Tolarno Galleries, 2003
Zara Stanhope, Everlasting (exhibition catalogue), Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA), Melbourne, 2003
Mark Feary, Beach Buoys, Beach Girls (exhibition catalogue), Monash Gallery of Art (MGA), Melbourne, 2002
Mark Feary, Modified Terrian (exhibition catalogue), Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane, 2002
Natalie King, Christopher Langton, ELLE, June 2001
Benjamin Genocchio, Reality check via plastic bimbo, Weekend Australian, 9 August 2000
Jacqueline Millner, Plastic Life, (exhibition catalogue), AGNSW Contemporary Projects, Art Gallery NSW, Sydney, 2000
Courtney Kidd, Getting away with it, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 January 2000
Stuart Koop, Commodity Realism, ART & TEXT, Issue 58, 1999
Peter Timms, Pop reveals its simple powers of persistence, The Age, 24 March 1999
Catherine Caines, Blow Jobs, Australian Style, Issue 29, 1998/99
Cliff Burtt, An inflated look at ourselves, Herald Sun, 15 August 1998
Damien Woolnough, Works that are air apparent, Herald Sun, 7 August 1998
Jove Winter, West Side Observer, 5 June 1998
David Bromfield, Options for body and soul, The West Australian, 16 May 1998
Robert Schubert, Road Kill, All this and Heaven too (exhibition catalogue), Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), Adelaide, 1998
Christopher Chapman, The real deal–simulated reality in contemporary Australian art, ART IN AUSTRALIA, Vol. 35 No.3, 1998
Chris Gregory, PVC Satire, MESH, Issue 11, 1997
Juliette Peers, Three Fragments of an Aberrant Narrative of Australian Identity, Artlink, Vol. 17 No. 3, 1997
Anna Clabburn, Producing for masses, Herald Sun, 29 September 1997
Helen Stuckey, I Luv Christopher Langton, Globe E-Journal, Issue 5, 1997
Jorge Lopez, The Andy Factor, Globe E-Journal, Issue 5, 1997
Esther Pierini, Awe Inspiring, Broadsheet, Vol. 26 No. 3, Spring 1997
Myfanwy Warhurst, Shimmer in the cathederal, The Age, 20 June 1997
Rosemary Crumlin, World without End (exhibition catalogue), St. Patrick's Cathederal, Melbourne, 1997
Rebecca Lancashire, Just blowing up pop culture, The Age, 21 May 1997
Alison Barclay, Power Pop Mix, Herald Sun, 29 April 1997
Clare Williamson, The Andy Factor (exhibition catalogue), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (AACA), Melbourne, 1997
Lara Travis, Like Magazine, Issue 2, 1997
Robert Schubert, ART & TEXT, Issue 56, 1997
Robert Nelson, The Age, 1 January 1997
Robert Nelson, The Age, 9 October 1996
Stephen O’Connell, Tour de Force (exhibition catalogue), 200 Gertrude St, Melbourne, 1996
Robert Rooney, The Australian, 4 October 1996
Robert Schubert, ART & TEXT, Issue 55, 1996
Robert Nelson, The Age, 25 September 1996
Maria Prerauer, The Bulletin, 24 September 1996
Linda Sproul, In Search of a Continuum, Artlink, Vol. 16 No. 2&3, Winter 1996
Susie Wong, The Straits Times, 12 June 1996
Tay Swee Lin & Natalie King, Rapport (exhibition catalogue), Singapore Art Museum, Singapore and Monash University Gallery, Melbourne, 1996
Helen Stuckey, Nothing Natural (exhibition catalogue), The Basement Gallery, Melbourne, 1996
Robert Nelson, The Age, 18 May 1996
Robert Rooney, The Australian, 10 May 1996
Susan Fereday, Ruins in Reverse (exhibition catalogue), RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, 1996
Susan McCulloch, Asian Art News, Vol. 6 No. 2, March/April 1996
Kevin Wilson, Phantasmagoria (exhibition catalogue), Noosa Regional Gallery, Queensland, 1996
Juliana Engberg, Lovers (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne, 1995
Jill Bennett, Blow Up, ART &TEXT #52 1995
Marie Sierra-Hughes, Herald Sun, Melbourne, 27 Sept 1995
Patricia Piccinini, Sugar the pill (exhibition catalogue), The Basemant Gallery, Melbourne, 1995
Robert Nelson, The Age, 7 June 1995
Ken Scarlett, Continuum and Contrast (exhibition catalogue), McClelland Gallery, Langwarrin, Victoria, 1995
Roger Taylor, Contemporary Voices, Asian Art News, Vol. 5 No. 3, May/June 1995
Natalie King, Blowup (exhibition catalogue), Roslyn Oxley 9 Gallery, Sydney, 1995
Robert Nelson, Humour is a lifesaving device, The Age, 9 May 1995
Chris Gregory, Caution this is not a lifesaving device (exhibition catalogue), Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne, 1995
Joanne Finkelstein, Bad toys r us, Art Monthly Australia, Issue 77, March 1995
Marcus O’Donnell, Melbourne Star Observer, 3 Febuary 1995
Robert Nelson, The Age, 25 January 1995
Marie Sierra-Hughes, Herald Sun, Melbourne, 21 Dec 1994
Natalie King, bad toys (exhibition catalogue), Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne, 1994
Rachel Gibson, The Age, Melbourne, 16 Dec 1994
Marie Sierra-Hughes, Herald Sun, Melbourne, 14 Dec 1994
Anne Marsh, Herald Sun, 20 Sept 1994
Chris Gregory, Detoxification Zone (exhibition catalogue), The Basement Project, Melbourne, 1994
Patricia Piccinini, Plastiche (exhibition catalogue), The Basement Project, Melbourne, 1994
Christopher Heathcote, Press the pedal for inflating love hearts, The Age, 4 May 1994
Helen Stuckey, Souvenir, Agenda Issue 36, May 1994
Sonia Harford, The Age, 9 April 1994
Chris Gregory, Souvenir (exhibition catalogue), The Basement Project, Melbourne, 1994
Natalie King, Disparities (exhibition catalogue), The University of Melbourne Museum of Art, Ian Potter Gallery, Melbourne, 1993
Jason Smith, The Forests of Ourselves (exhibition catalogue), An independent project associated with the Fifth Australian Sculpture Triennial, Melbourne, 1993
Hilary Ericksen, Objects of Desire (exhibition catalogue), Panorama Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne, 1992