Aphra is a Naarm/Melbourne based artist from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Her practice includes contemporary jewellery, objects, drawing, video and sculpture. Her research examines our complex relationships with commonplace materials and objects, often considered in relation to the cycles of capitalism and other economic, social, political and environmental systems. Cheesman's work is often situated within the overlooked and in-between moments of everyday life and she has a daily practice of observing and collecting from which her research and creative works often evolve.

Cheesman's process is both playful and observant. She is interested in the in-between moments of daily life and she is continually looking for objects, materials and things in her everyday that she finds odd, beautiful, humorous, or simply appealing. This begins the process of translating her observations into further research, and making work.

Aphra Cheesman graduated from RMIT with a BA Fine Art (Honours) in 2020. She has exhibited in Australia and internationally. She was selected for the Fresh! graduate exhibition at Craft Victoria (2019), the Gallery Marzee International Graduate Show (NL, 2019) and Talente (DE, 2022). Aphra is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including; the Joel Elenberg prize (RMIT, 2020), the Emily Hope award (RMIT, 2020) and the Talente Prize (2022). Cheesman was selected for Melbourne Now 2023 at the NGV. In 2020 she completed her BA (Fine Art) (Honours) at RMIT.

Observing my everyday environment, I seek out traces of encounters between people and things, gleaning objects and materials that are worn or decayed, with signs of interaction and use. My practice considers the complex networks in which people and things coexist and offers the potential to re-examine both our place within these systems, and our relationships with our things.I consider how the contact zones between people and things are examples of a networked materiality – an intersection of social, political, environmental and economic forces – pointing to an interconnectedness and complexity of everyday life.Jewellery too, provides a networked materiality in its ability to form connections between people, environments and things. The work will continue to shift, taking on traces of new interactions as it is worn and exchanged in everyday life.

Aphra Cheesman