Amber Stokie

“Abstraction gives me the opportunity to be unique, as a triplet this is an unusual feeling.” - A.Stokie

Australian artist Amber Stokie draws on personal experience and universal themes, working through abstract painting, drawing, and conceptual text to examine the shifting emotional states that define her creative journey and reflect the complexities of the human condition. Concurrently she explores the concept of individualisation / uniqueness through the dual lenses of her identity as an artist and as one of triplets.

Stokie engages a variety of abstract styles and techniques in her work, including painting with multiple brushes - a practice that reflects her triplet identity and gestures toward the multiple paths a life can take. She describes her evolving practice as "restless abstraction" - a type of painting that avoids repetition, welcomes uncertainty, and stays open to ongoing re-imagination. Her commitment to embracing uniqueness is very personal. Growing up as a triplet, Stokie was immersed in a shared identity, which sharpened her awareness of individuality. Her paintings reflect this tension - between sameness and separation - by emphasizing variation and emotional honesty.

Through these shifting visual languages, she invites viewers to engage their imagination within ambiguous, visceral spaces. Her works are characterised by layered, tactile surfaces where bodily sensation and emotional resonance merge, creating compositions that encourage slow and contemplative engagement. Each series of work directly informs the next as Stokie embraces experimentation in her paintings and pushes their expressive potential.

Stokies text-based works on paper engage more directly with her desire to achieve a unique sense of self and to question her place in the world. The process of creating the artwork is documented, and the resulting video is part of the installation. Continuing her lightness of touch and choosing phrases that resonate with both dimensions of her identity, Stokie uses a technique she refers to as “mirror writing” where both left and right hands are employed simultaneously. A unique method that provides the viewer an insight into her inner-voice and concerns while also expressing the sensation of duality she feels in response to the presence of her triplet siblings.

Amber Stokie holds a Master of Fine Arts with high distinction at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Since 2006 whilst showing her work in group and solo exhibitions she has curated exhibitions at Artasis Gallery in Melbourne and completed numerous commissions and live painting performances, including at the National Gallery of Victoria. She has been a finalist in the Williamstown, Stanthorpe and Blacktown prizes and has won “people’s choice” at AGENDO emerging art award. In 2016 she was recipient of the ADFAS Young Artist Award for her RMIT (Melbourne) MFA finalist work, the next year she successfully had a solo exhibition at the Wodonga Public Art Gallery in Regional Australia. Stokie has been awarded multiple grants for her work from both Council and RMIT University in Australia. In 2019 she was commissioned to perform a key work “Are You An Artist Too” from her Masters studies at the 2019 Montsalvat Arts Centre in Melbourne. Stokie’s work is widely collected both in Australia and overseas.