Lachlan Stonehouse, 2022, Artist portrait by Annika Kafcaloudis

Lachlan Stonehouse

Born 1999, Scottsdale, Tasmania
Lives and works Melbourne, Aus

Lachlan Stonehouse is an emerging artist recognised for his innovative approach to painting, drawing, and collage. His work deeply investigates themes of recurrence, pattern-making, and the controlled alteration of surfaces. In his paintings, Stonehouse examines the foundations of painting, focusing on its support structures, particularly using the woven grid form to create optical rhythms and repetitive patterns that can appear almost mechanical. His artistic approach is informed by the legacies of Modernism, Minimalism, and Post-Minimalism, which he uses to develop new painting techniques.

Stonehouse's work is characterised by its focus on the grid, a structure that symbolises stability and discipline. This reflects his pursuit of perfection—a pursuit that he intentionally never fully achieves. By blending both fabricated and hand-constructed techniques, Stonehouse creates artworks that explore contemporary structures and their perceptions. His paintings offer a meditation on compositional order and disorder, underpinned by a nuanced understanding of materials, paint, and painting supports.

Colour plays a significant role in Stonehouse's practice, where he merges intuition and spontaneity with systematic approaches. His use of the woven grid serves as a perceptual puzzle that balances constructed and reconstructed elements. By embracing mistakes and integrating them into his work, he challenges the rigidity of the grid and traditional modernist aesthetics.

Born in Scottsdale, Tasmania, in 1999, Stonehouse graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, in 2023. He held a debut solo exhibition at Five Walls Gallery in April 2024, and followed this with a two-person presentation at Sydney Contemporary alongside Emma Langridge, in September 2024. He has exhibited his work in several group shows across Melbourne, including spaces such as Caves ARI, Blindside ARI, Oigall Projects, George Paton Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Photography, and Arts Projects Australia. His work has also been showcased in Tasmania at Sawtooth ARI and Poimena Gallery. In 2021, Stonehouse received the George Paton Gallery Artist’s Residency Award from Melbourne University. Born in Scottsdale, Tasmania, in 1999, Stonehouse graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, in 2023. He has exhibited his work in several group shows across Melbourne, including spaces such as Caves ARI, Blindside ARI, Oigall Projects, George Paton Gallery, Centre for Contemporary Photography, and Arts Projects Australia. His work has also been showcased in Tasmania at Sawtooth ARI and Poimena Gallery. 

In 2021, Stonehouse was awarded the George Paton Gallery Artist’s Residency Award from Melbourne University. He further distinguished himself in 2024 by receiving the Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence from the same institution.

Stonehouse’s work is held in various collections, including Macquarie Bank Group NSW, Leeuwin Estate WA, Justin House Museum VIC, Winton Group QLD, UMSU Melbourne University, Melbourne University, and several private collections across Australia and New Zealand. 

Lachlan Stonehouse CV:

Lachlan Stonehouse CV

Solo Exhibitions:

Grid Variations, 2024
Melbourne Art Fair, 2025