Gallery Bio and CV
Keren Sis Gardner is a self-taught visual artist whose work delicately intertwines the feminine form with the natural world, exploring the veils we wear and the truths that lie beneath. Her portraits are intimate meditations on resilience, vulnerability, and the layered complexity of womanhood — inviting viewers to pause, reflect, and connect with the unseen forces that shape identity.
Working with graphite, charcoal, pencil, and acrylic often on reclaimed fabrics such as linen, cotton, and velvet, Sis merges the human and botanical until they become inseparable. This choice of material is both tactile and intentional: by giving discarded textiles new life, her practice echoes themes of renewal, sustainability, and transformation. Each piece becomes a dialogue between surface and self, where beauty is not only adorned but also revealed through fragility and strength.
Rooted in her own journey of healing from CPTSD, Sis’s work began as a way to rediscover beauty within herself and the world around her. What emerged was a practice that is both deeply personal and universally resonant — portraits that honour women’s inner landscapes, celebrate their quiet power, and acknowledge the pain, love, and endurance woven into their stories.
Her work has been recognised with numerous awards, including international and national honours such as an Honourable mention/Special Accolade award at the Women in Rebirth Contemporary Art Competition in Milan, Italy, a Special Accolade Award at the Queenscliff Art Prize, and multiple People’s Choice and Judges’ Awards across Victorian group exhibitions. Widely celebrated for her evocative style, Sis’s art continues to resonate with audiences and collectors, offering not just images but spaces of empathy, contemplation, and connection with the feminine.
Art education/professional experience
1994 Diploma of Interior Design – RMIT Tafe, Melbourne
2007 Assistant Art Teacher
Cavalier Art Workshops, Geelong, Victoria
2010 – 2013 Facilitator and Art Teacher
Creative Art Workshops (self-employed business) Geelong, Victoria
2016 Facilitator and Art Teacher
Creative Arts 3 day Retreats (self-employed business)
Art Awards
First place (1st) People’s Choice Award
2022 Group Exhibition - 30 x 30 - The Space Gallery and workshops, Newtown, Victoria
Third place (3rd) Judges Award
2023 Group Exhibition, Bigger is Better - The Space Gallery and workshops, Newtown, Victoria
Third place (3rd) People’s Choice Award
2023 Group Exhibition - 30 x 30 - The Space Gallery and workshops, Newtown, Victoria
(1st) Honorable mention - Special Accolade Judges Award
2024 Exhibition – 13th Edition of the Contemporary Art Competition – Passepartout Gallery, Milan, Italy
Finalist - Judges Choice Award
2024 Group Exhibition – 35 Below small works Prize – Sequel Gallery, Geelong, Newtown, Victoria
3rd runner up – People’s Choice Award
2024 Group Exhibition – 35 Below small works Prize – Sequel Gallery, Geelong, Newtown, Victoria
Special Accolade Award – Queenscliff Art Prize Judges Award
Queenscliff Art Prize Exhibition on the Queenscliff, Rosebud and Kerferd Piers, Victoria
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibition
2018 - Showcasing current work, The Healing Web café, Highton
Group Exhibition
2021 - 30 x 30 Exhibition, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2022 - Small Works Exhibition, Surf Coast Art Space, Torquay
Group Exhibition
2022 - 30 x 30 Exhibition, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Solo Exhibition
2022 – Original Work, 63 Degrees Café, Highton
Solo Exhibition
2023 - Showcasing 16 Artworks, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2023 - Bigger is Better, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Solo Exhibition
2023 – ‘Love and Loss’, The Convent Gallery - Daylesford
Solo Exhibition
2023 - Showcasing 10 Artworks, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2023 - 30 x 30 Exhibition, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2024 - 30 Squared Exhibition, The Space Gallery and workshops, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2024 – Grand opening Alumni Exhibition, Sequel Gallery, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2024 – 35 Below small works Prize Exhibition, Sequel Gallery, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2024 - Showcasing 2 Artworks, The Queenscliff Art Prize, Queenscliff, Rosebud and South Melbourne
Group Exhibition
2024 - Donne in Rinascita – Women in Rebirth, 13th Edition of The Contemporary Art Competition, Passepartout Gallery, Milan, Italy
Group Exhibition
2024 - Art and Design Week, Passepartout Gallery, Milan, Italy
Group Exhibition
2025 – Small works Exhibition, Sequel Gallery, Geelong
Group Exhibition
2025 - Showcasing 2 Artworks, The Queenscliff Art Prize, Queenscliff, Chateau Yering and South Melbourne
Exhibiting works
2025 – Artworks represented at Nissarana Gallery, Richmond, Melbourne (Current)
Solo Exhibition
2025 – ‘Beneath the Veil’, The Convent Gallery – Daylesford (Current)