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Jules Silk is a New Zealand contemporary artist based in Matakana, north of Auckland. Working primarily within abstract expressionism, her practice moves fluidly between abstraction, the human form and the natural world, guided by an instinctive curiosity and a desire to explore new ways of seeing.

At the heart of Jules' work lies a fascination with marks and surfaces — the ways they hold memory, evoke emotion and tell stories beyond words. Whether through paint, gold leaf or found objects, her art explores how a single gesture, colour, texture or fragment can carry both power and tenderness, chaos and stillness.

Colour is central to her practice. Its energy, vibration and emotional resonance have a profound effect on her, while the physicality of materials offers endless possibilities for experimentation and expression. Her approach is intuitive and exploratory, allowing each body of work to evolve naturally rather than being confined to a particular subject or formula.

Silk graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design, Auckland, in 1996. Over a career spanning three decades, she has exhibited extensively throughout New Zealand, including solo exhibitions at Chiaroscuro Gallery, Auckland, and Studio One Toi Tū, alongside numerous group exhibitions. Her work has also been exhibited internationally, including at Metafora in Barcelona, Spain.

She has been recognised as a finalist in the Wallace Trust Art Awards (2000), Telecom Art Awards (2004) and Walker & Hall Art Awards (2008).

Since 2021, Silk has lived and worked from her studio in Matakana, where she continues to develop her practice through an ongoing exploration of colour, materiality, emotion and expression.