2026 Artist-in-Residence Sophie Perez coming to the Whitsundays

ARI Whitsundays and the Whitsundays Arts Festival are pleased to announce British-born contemporary painter Sophie Perez as the 2026 Artist-in-Residence.

Now based on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Sophie graduated from the Royal College of Art in London with an MA in Painting in 2003. Her practice is centred on drawing and painting, with the natural landscape providing an ongoing source of inspiration. Working primarily in oils, Sophie explores colour, light, texture and mark-making to capture her experience of place.

During her residency, Sophie will spend time working in the Whitsundays and responding to the region’s landscape, continuing a program that has brought artists including Nathalie Hartog-Gautier, Kim Percy and Peter Syndicas to the region in recent years. The residencies have supported artists to develop new work while sharing their practices with the local community through workshops and artist talks.

Sophie has undertaken residencies including at Tweed Regional Gallery’s Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence studio and has exhibited widely across Australia. Her recent work includes a 2025 solo exhibition at Australian Galleries in Melbourne.

As part of her Whitsundays residency, Sophie will also lead an en plein air painting workshop at the Gloucester Sport & Recreation Association in Hydeaway Bay on Saturday 31 October, offering local artists and art enthusiasts an opportunity to work outdoors and explore her approach to painting the landscape.