biography
Lubi Thomas
EDUCATION
2023 – Cert VI Project Management – Current
2015 - Masters Creative Industries (research) Curating In Unchartered Territories, QUT, Brisbane, QLD.
2006 Fine Art BA - distinction, QUT, Brisbane, QLD.
CURRENT
Principal Public Art - Brisbane City Council
Curator – Experimenta Media Arts – Now or Never 2024
COMPLETED
2023
Curator Exhibition - Experimenta Media Arts - Now or Never Festival
Exhibition Touring - Experimenta Media Arts - Experimenta Life Forms triennial touring exhibition (2021 – 2024)
Curatorial Advisor - Digital Placemaking Institute
Curator – public art - iAMProjects
Senior Public Art Officer - Brisbane City Council
2022
Advisory Board Member - Ars Electronica Prix Awards - Digital Communities
Industry Advisor - Australia Council for the Arts
2021
Industry Advisor - Australia Council for the Arts
Curatorial Advisor - Siggraph Asia Tokyo - Art Gallery Committee Advisory
Curatorial Advisor - Commission Public Art - Digital Placemaking Institute - International
Curator - Symposium - MAB 2020 - Digital Publics Panel
Presenter - QUT - Art Thinking
Curatorial Advisory - MAB 2020 - Digital Publics Panel
2020
Curator - Symposium - Digital Placemaking Institute - Digital Publics Symposium, Amsterdam 2021
Advisory Board Member - Ars Electronica Prix Awards - Digital Communities
Co-Curator - Exhibition - Ars Electronica Festival Garden Melbourne- Experimenta - Mathew Sleeth & Jonathan Parsons
Advisor – Exhibition – Ars Electronica Festival Garden Brisbane – Museum of Brisbane – Man & Wah – Advisory
Masters Philosophy Industry Supervisor – QUT
2019
Juror - NTU Global Digital Art Award – NTU Singapore
Curatorial Advisor - Siggraph Asia Brisbane - Art Gallery Committee member
Education, Curation, Commission - QUT Work Integrated Learning Mentor program - Living Walls - presentation @ Ars Electronica Festival
Presenter & Curator Ars Electronica Festival - Australian representation Presentation and Talks
Associate Curator - Vast Yonder - Brisbane Street Art Festival
Curator - Symposium - Digital Placemaking Institute - Digital Publics Symposium, Singapore
Exhibition & Touring Co-curator - Experimenta Media Arts - Experimenta Life Forms (2019 - 2023)
Co-director Ars Electronica Australia (2019 - 2020)
Industry Supervisor Masters - QUT
2018
Festival Curator – new festival for NSW City - development (2018 – 2020) cancelled due to COVID.
Curatorial Advisor - Vast Yonder - Brisbane Street Art Festival
Curator - Symposium - Digital Publics Symposium, MAB, CAFA Beijing - Advisory Curator
Curatorial Advisor - Museum of Brisbane BAD Curatorium
Academic review committee - Spectra Festival, ANAT Adelaide
PhD External Examiner - Swinburn University of Technology, Melbourne
Juror - Ars Electronica Prix Awards Juror Interactive + Ars Electronica Linz Austria
Presentation Chair - Botanica Panel Chair Responsive art and interaction design, Brisbane
Education, Curation, Commission Ars Electronica Future Lab Academy - QUT Brisbane
Presentation - Pause Festival - Panellist - Federation Square Melbourne
2017
Festival Curation - Ars Electronica Festival - Ars Electronica Linz
Education, Curation, Commission - Ars Electronica Future Lab Academy - Curator - QUT Brisbane
Curatorial Advisor - Australian Virtual Reality Film Festival
Curatorial Advisor - Brisbane Street Art Festival - ReForm Program
Curatorial Advisor - UTV - early development 2017/18 projects
Curatorial Advisor - Digital Placemaking Institute - early development 2017/18 projects
Exhibition Co-Curation & Touring - Experimenta Media Arts - Experimenta Make Sense (2017 - 2020)
Curatorial advisor - QUT Creative Lab
2016
Associate Curator Exhibition - Femel Fissions: Women Art & Science
Associate Curator Exhibition - Shape of Things to Come - The Anniversary Show
2015
Curator Symposium - Digital Publics Series - X Communicate, VIVID ideas.
Residency & Commission - Move-On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange: Mathias Jud & Christoph Wachter
Residency & commission - Ars Electronica International Residency Network: Friedrich Kirschner, Futurelab Senior Director - Horst Hortner Futurelab and Dr. Claudia Schnugg
Senior Curator Exhibition - A New Aesthetic?
2014
Senior Curator QUT - digital media
The Cube - Project Development, Policy, Partnerships, Public & Education Engagement Program
Creative Industries Precinct - Programming Development, Partnership, Policy, Exhibitions, Screening Program, Public and Education Engagement Programs
Education, Curation, Commission - Ars Electronica - Futurelab Academy W Dr. Jared Donovan, Futurelab Senior Director: Prof. Horst Hortner and Veronika Pauser
Residency & Commission Move-On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange: Monica Riki – Spain
Residency & Commission - The Cube Production Residency Program - Digital Writing Residency: Jason Nelson - Canonical
Residency & Commission - Ars Electronica International Residency Network: Resident: Zach Liberman Partnership - Futurelab Senior Director - Horst Hortner
Commissioning - Soul of The Cube - Ars Electronica, Water Engineering - Many Monkeys
Associate Curator Exhibition - Experimenta Recharge
Exhibition - Antimation
Screening Program Public Space - Parer Place Project (2010 - 2014)
2013
Senior Curator QUT - digital media
The Cube- Cube Project Development, Policy, Partnerships, Public & Education Engagement Program
Creative Industries Precinct- Exhibitions, Screening Program, Education & Public Programming, policy
Education, Curation, Commission - Ars Electronica - Futurelab Academy - W Dr. Jared Donovan, Futurelab Senior Director: Prof. Horst Hortner
Commissioning - The Cube Production Residency Program - Digital Writing Residency - Christy Dena - Robot University
Festival Curation – Robotronica – QUT
Exhibition - IDAProjects: Sans Faute - Senior Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition - Self-discipline and Speculation, Beijing Film Academy - Senior Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition - The Games of Art
Exhibition - Datascape
Screening Program Public Space - Parer Place Project (2010 - 2014)
Artistic Director - The Planets - Willoughby Symphony - Curator, Produced by UTV & presented by Willoughby City Council
2012
Senior Curator QUT - digital media
The Cube: Development of Cube program, Partnerships, Public and education engagement Program, and Policy.
Creative Industries Precinct: Exhibition, Screening Program, Education & Public Programming
Commissioning - Messages for our Future by Jason Nelson, Tohoku Japan - Senior Curator, in partnership with the Yokohama art project
Exhibition - ARI at the block - inbetweenspaces
Exhibition - Parallel Universes: 1970 - 1985
Exhibition - Making the green one red (Virtual Macbeth) - Kerreen Ely-Harper and Andrew Burrell
Screening Program Public Space - Parer Place Project (2010 - 2014)
Commissioning - QUT Billboard
Public Program streams – Game On, FashionTalks, Mondo Motion, KGSC program, QACI program, exhibition associated programs, special public events, and ABC education program.
2011
Senior Curator QUT
Commissioning - Making the green one red (Virtual Macbeth) development lab artists Kerreen Ely-Harper and Andrew Burrell
Residency & Exhibition - IDAProjects - The Joy of Loss Senior Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition - ARI Program - Grid North by Boxcopy
Exhibition - Remoteness - co-curated by Matthew Perkins & Dr. Elaine Miles
Exhibition - Shape of things to come - Close In - Curatorial Advisor
Screening Program Public Space - Parer Place Project (2010 - 2014)
Public Program streams - Game On, FashionTalks, GIRRL, KGSC program, exhibition associated programs, special public events, and ABC education program.
Commissioning - QUT Billboard
2010
Curator QUT
Exhibition - Semiotics At Play: the otherness and the togetherness - Tokyo, Japan
Exhibition - Les Fresnoy - Panorama Curatorial Team with Pascale Ponnier
Exhibition - Linear Progression KGUV Screens network and QUT Billboard
Exhibition & Touring - Machinima (2010 - 2011)
Presentation & Design - Face to Face- d/Lux/MediaArts touring exhibition.
Screening Program Public Space - KGUV Screens Network
Screening Program Public Space - Parer Place Project (2010 - 2014)
Nightly curated screening program engaging local, national, and international artists (2010 - 2014)
Exhibition - International Media Arts Festival, Beijing Film Academy
Public Program Streams - Game On, FashionTalks, CUR8, KGSC program, exhibition associated programs & special public/education events.
2009
Curator QUT
Exhibition - LAND Artists: Ulf langheinrich in Partnership with FACT Liverpool UK.
Residency & Exhibition - Mellifera - co-curator with the artists Trish Adams and Andrew Burrell.
Exhibition - IDAProjects: Transverse - Co-Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition & Touring (2009 - 2012) - Big Eye: Aboriginal Animation - curated by CyberTribe Jenny Fraser & Lubi Thomas
Public Program streams- Game On, FashionTalks, Write it, KGSC program, exhibition associated programs & special public/education events.
2008
Curator QUT
Exhibition & Touring (2009 - 2011) Artist V Hollywood - National and international touring program.
Exhibition & Touring (2008 - 2010) IDAprojects – VT2 - Songzhuang Art Museum Beijing China, The Block QUT Brisbane, Tokyo International Film Festival Japan, Beijing Film Academy Beijing, Frieze Art Festival London, Pinnacles Gallery Qld. - Co-Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition - The SHAPE of things to come - Body +.
Public Program streams - Game On, FashionTalks, Write it, KGSC program, Studio Game-On, exhibition associated programs & special public/education events.
2007
Curator QUT
Exhibition - Scope
Exhibition & Touring (2007 - 2009) IDAprojects – The Vernacular Terrain - Co-Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig. National touring show: Zaim Art Centre, Yokohama, Japan, Beijing Film Academy, Beijing & Song Zhuang Art Museum Beijing China, Pinnacles Gallery Thuringowa, Monash University Faculty of Art & Design Gallery, Federation Square Urban Screens, Melbourne, Ipswich Art Gallery Ipswich, Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, Monash University, Melbourne
Exhibition - The Shape of Things to come.
Public Program streams - Game On, FashionTalks, KGSC program, exhibition associated programs & special public/education events.
2006
Curator QUT
Exhibition - Re-Active
Screening - Video Works – QUT students QUT Art Museum, George Street, Brisbane, Qld.
Exhibition - Jemima Wyman: Survey show
Exhibition - International Digital Art Awards Co-Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Exhibition & Touring (2006 Beijing Film Academy, Beijing, China) - The Harries Digital Arts Award Co-Curator W Creative Director: Stephan Danzig
Screening - Fluidity – video works
2005
Curator QUT
Exhibition - jOurney Co-Curator W Simone Jones
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS
2023
Co-Chair - Experimenta Life Forms Panel - NERAM
2021
Symposium Chair - MAB 2020
Presentation - QUT - Art Thinking
2019
Guest Lecture - QUT Digital/New Media Arts - trends and discourse
Presentation - NTU Global Digital Art Award symposium presentation
Symposium - Ars Electronica Festival - Ars Electronica Australia Symposium
Guest lecture - University of Wollongong
Institution presentation W Experimenta - ISEA, Gwangju, South Korea
Paper presentation W Experimenta ISEA, Gwangju, South Korea, ISEA
Pivot Summit - Ars Electronica Australia presentation Geelong, Victoria
Presentation - International Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence - Canberra Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU
2018
Presenter and Chair - Digital Placemaking Institute - Digital Publics symposium series, CAFA, Beijing
Presenter - Jury overview, methodology and reflections - Ars Electronica Prix Awards Interactive + 2018, Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria
Panel moderator - Ars Electronica Prix Awards Interactive + 2018, Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria
Chair - Responsive art and interaction design, Botanica, Brisbane
Panel presentation - Future Festival – Pause Festival, Melbourne
2017
Panel presentation and discussion - Future models for trans-disciplinary education, Ars Electronica Festival, Austria
Chair - Critical Connections: Art, Design, and STEM symposium. Panel: Cultural Engagement at the Nexus
2016
Guest lecture - curating: ideas to exhibition, Queensland Academy of Creative Industries, Brisbane
Exhibition opening presentation - The Shape of Things to Come - 10th Anniversary with Prof Suzi Vaugh
Guest lecture - Queensland University of Technology – Design School, Brisbane
Panel discussion – CreateX, Brisbane
2015
Conference presentation - Move-On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange, Halle Germany.
Panel discussion - Experimenta Recharge
Chair – New Aesthetic opening event panel discussion
Keynote - Beijing International Media Architecture Summit. Digital Placemaking @ the intersect of Art, Culture & Community.
2014
Conference presentation - International Teaching Artists Conference – Thinking outside the box, whilst inside the Cube: public and education engagement programming.
Symposium presentation – Xcommunicate: Thinking inside the Cube
Contributing Author: Sans Faute Catalogue published by IDAProjects
Conference presentation - Ars Electronica Festival: What it takes to Change conference – Residency and open pathways.
Conference presentation - Ars Electronica Festival: What it takes to Change conference – Ars Electronica Academy & Trans-disciplinary projects.
Contributing Author - Exhibition Floor Brochure: Antimation (co-author)
2013
Conference presentation - TEDXQUT: Cooking with STEAM
Conference presentation - Ars Electronica - A Worldwide Residency Network - The Cube
Conference presentation - ISEA - Resistance is Futile (panel): Curating and collecting the new
Contributing Author - Exhibition Floor Brochures: DataScape, The Games of Art, Sans Faute, Shape of Things to Come 7UP (co-author)
2012
Plenary Keynote - TechNet 2012 Conference: Art is a language of Ideas
Conference presentation - Freeplay 2012 Conference: Games and Art
Contributing Author: The Sixth 48 Hour Game Making Challenge - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
Exhibition Floor Brochure: Making the red one green, I’m Yours Be Mine
2011
Lecture - UniCA Santa Cruz. Digital media curatorship
Panel presentation - Game Connect Asia Pacific Conference, Melbourne - Journeys with Friends
Conference presentation - Freeplay 2011 Conference (panel): Indies, academics, and institutions
Conference presentation - Freeplay 2011 Conference: That one piece of advice - Turner, Jane & Thomas, Lubi
Contributing Author: Jams, jelly beans & the fruits of passion - art book (26 Pgs) - Turner, Jane & Thomas, Lubi
Contributing Author: IGDA Perspective May 2011: Apres le deluge - The Brisbane [Briz-lantis] story - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
Contributing Author: The Fifth 48 Hour Game Making Challenge - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
2010
Contributing Author: Creative Industries - published by QUT
Conference presentation - Game Connect Asia Pacific Conference: Jams, jellybeans and the fruits of passion - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
Contributing Author: The 48-hour game-making challenge: Jams, jellybeans and the fruits of passion
Contributing Author: 48 Hour Game Making Challenge - In Progress [Four Episodes] - Turner, Jane (Truna), Thomas, Lubi, & Owen, Cameron
Contributing Author: The vernacular terrain: Songzhang Art Museum, Beijing, China. Thomas, Lubi, Danzig, Stephen, Milton Hampe, Benjamin, & Li, Xian Ting
2009
Contributing Author: 48-hour game-making challenge - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
Contributing Author: Studio Game On - Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi
2008
Contributing Author: International Digital Art Projects ISBN: 978-0-646-48584-3
Guest Speaker - Queensland Academy of Creative Industries Curating in the 21st Century
Presentation - Curating and Exhibition Design - QUT Brisbane Qld
Contributing Author: Subtext: Anything but Run of the Mill - McKelvey, Bridgette, Thomas, Lubi, & Klaebe, Helen
2007
Lecture - QUT Brisbane Qld Curating and 'the Shape of things to come'
Keynote - Queensland Independent School Art and Design Award night – Creativity of the Future
Lecture - QUT Brisbane Qld Interactivity off the screen
Contributing Author: In Interaction - Thomas, Lubi & Danzig, Stephen
2006
Lecture - Beijing Film Academy Beijing China - Curatorship and collaborative arts practice.
CONSULTANCY & PROFESSIONAL ROLES:
2020
Ars Electronica Representative Australia & New Zealand 2019 - 2020
Consultancy: Iscariotmedia, Bowerbird Creative
2018
Mentor - Anne Wilson - Australia Council for the Arts Professional Development grant, Brisbane & Melbourne
Consultancy: Bowerbird Creative Programs; UTV, Digital Placemaking Institute, QUT CLab
2017
Consultancies clients: Bowerbird Creative Programs; BrIDGA (Game On Program), Mike Riddle (McClelland Commission Project), UTV, Digital Placemaking Institute.
Project management - Iconoclast, Mike Riddle, McClelland Sculpture Commission
2016
Consultancies clients: Bowerbird Creative Programs; BrIDGA (Game On Program), Mike Riddle (McClelland Commission Project), UTV, Digital Placemaking Institute.
2012
Program Curatorial Advisor - Metro Arts, Brisbane.
Consultancy - Translational Research Institute, Brisbane.
2011
Consultancy - State Library Queensland.
Consultancy - 87 Art Zone Gold Coast.
Program Curatorial Advisor - Metro Arts, Brisbane.
Peer advisor - Australian Council for the Arts.
Board Member - Flying arts Inc.
2010
Consultancy - Art Mapping, Brisbane City Council.
Peer Reviewer - Metro Arts, Brisbane.
Peer advisor Australian Council for the Arts - Inter-Arts.
Board Member - Flying arts Inc.
2009
Consultancy - Burnett Lane: Curatorial Rationale & Scoping Report - Thomas, Lubi, & Klaebe, Helen
2008
Board Member - Flying arts Inc.
2007
Curator Public Art - Transition in flow, Jon McCormack & Gold Coast Convention Centre
AWARDS
2023
Brisbane City Council - Lord Mayor's Award for Excellence- Working Together
Brisbane City Council - Lord Mayor's Award for Excellence- Innovation
2021
Brisbane City Council - CPED Reward and Recognition Award
2014
QUT Engagement Innovation Grant – Off the Shelf – Thomas, Lubi & Leong Jacina
2013
QUT Engagement Innovation Grant - Cube Jam - Thomas, Lubi & Turner, Jane (aka truna)
2008
Vice - Chancellor's Performance Award
2006
Award for Outstanding Contribution by Professional Staff - Certification of Commendation