Sebastian Moody’s artworks draw on words in their presentation and aesthetic. His use of ambiguity and multiple meanings prompt the viewer to consider both what we think and why. Born in Sydney in 1979, Moody currently lives and works in Brisbane where he completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at QUT (2001) and a Master of Museum Studies at The University of Queensland (2009).
Moody has been creating artworks in the public realm since 2002. His KEEP THE SUNSHINE (2015) farewells departing travellers from Brisbane International Airport and THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT THE BIGGER IT GETS (2009) defines a tunnel in the Fortitude Valley.
His art provides opportunities for philosophical contemplation in busy urban environments. These commissioned works respond to their physical context and are sufficiently memorable to stay with the viewer. Equal parts gravitas and humour, his text is always concise and digestible. Offering statements that challenge as they reassure, Moody nudges his audience into a critical awareness of self—one that, in its honesty, cannot help but acknowledge an individual point of view that is unique in its construction and, yet, essentially common in its discursive origins.
Moody’s artworks have appeared in swimming pools, personal advertisements, kitchen splashbacks, on hang gliders and banners at music festivals, inner city billboards, and as multi-storey public projections. His practice also includes relational experiments such as converting gallery spaces into bars and focus groups, working with cafes to have staff sign and number the coffees they serve, and ‘loaning’ his identity to an unemployed man.
Moody’s projects have appeared at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane), Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), Brisbane International Airport, New York Art Book Fair (New York), Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Brisbane), Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (Sydney), Splendour in the Grass (Byron Bay), Next Wave Festival 2008 (Melbourne), Bus Projects (Melbourne), Firstdraft (Sydney), VCA Margaret Lawrence Gallery (Melbourne), Tin Sheds Gallery (University of Sydney), Melbourne Art Book Fair, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts (Melbourne), Bundaberg Arts Centre (Queensland), Museum of Brisbane, The Goodwill Bridge (Brisbane), QUT Art Museum (Brisbane), UQ Art Museum (Brisbane), and Southbank Parklands (Brisbane).
