Güler Altunbas is an award-winning artist and advocate based in Naarm/Melbourne Australia working across painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing and digital technologies. She has a prolific exhibition history, including Linden New Art, Bundoora Homestead, the Yarra Gallery Federation Square, Islamic Museum of Australia, Gasworks Arts Park, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery and Melbourne Fringe Festival.
She is a mentor, mentee, grant assessor, and recipient of multiple grants through City of Melbourne, and City of Port Phillip, creating impactful projects such as Chrysalis: Restitution & Resolution and The Human First? Project, an online portrait project curating artists with disability at The Dax Centre, University of Melbourne. Güler is one of the founding artists at Nimbus Studios, Arts Access Victoria. Her innovative practice is deeply shaped by lived experience and her long-standing advocacy against violence towards women and children, bringing issues of human rights and social justice to public attention through both creative and civic platforms.
Güler was raised by leaders in the fashion industry, which has led to a professional career extending beyond the studio. She has held key media specialist roles in national and international broadcasting and training, leadership, project management, management of projects with women, young people and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. For over ten years respectively, Güler has taught open studios and exhibition programs, worked with NGO’s and Councils and led mediation work and training development at the Victorian Department of Justice & Community Safety. Güler has presented forums on gender equity, family violence and disability rights, consistently demonstrating the power of art to amplify voices and drive social change.
Photo: Peter Leiss
CV
Education
2012 Master of Art Therapy (First semester completed), Latrobe University
2012 Mental Health First Aid
2011 Graduate Certificate of Visual Arts, Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne University
2010 Diploma in Visual Arts, Centre for Adult Education, Melbourne
2008 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment Infoxchange Australia
2003 Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
2003 Certificate III & IV in Broadcasting Radio, Australian Ethnic Radio Training Project
1991 Bachelor of Arts in Youth Affairs, RMIT University, Melbourne
1990 Gazetted Mediator Accreditation, Department of Justice Victoria
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Art bomb, Northwestern Melbourne Primary Health Network, an Australian Government Initiative, Sadie Black
Café, Albion
2021 Chrysalis; Recognition and Restitution, Linden Project Space, St Kilda
2021 Human First?, The Cunningham Dax Centre, Melbourne University, Parkville
2019 Axiom, SpACE@Collins Gallery, Melbourne
2016 St Vincent’s Hospital Exhibition, St Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy
2012 In the Garden of My Mind, Chapel off Chapel, Prahran
2011 The view from here, Chapel off Chapel, Prahran
2010 Mind Your Head, Gasworks Arts Park, Albert Park
Kismet = Fate & Destiny, Stables Art Gallery, Melbourne
Group Exhibitions
2024 The Collective - 50 years of Arts Access Victoria, the Stables at Meat Market, North Melbourne
2020 A1 Darebin Arts Salon, Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Bundoora
2019 Australian Muslim Artist Art Prize, Islamic Museum of Australia
Formation, The Cunningham Dax Centre, Melbourne University, Parkville
Two, Skin Gallery, Carlton
2018 A1 Darebin Arts Salon, Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre, Bundoora
Pop Up Nimbus, Nebula/Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Melbourne
Ignite Catalogue, Arts Access Victoria & Rotary Club of Melbourne.
Why Art, Skin Gallery, Melbourne
Disability Pride Mural, Footscray Exchange Building, Melbourne
One Night in Footscray, Exchange building, Melbourne
2017 Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Melbourne
2016 St Vincent’s Hospital Exhibition, Main Entrance, Melbourne
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Federation Square (Deakin Edge) and South
Yarra, Melbourne
2015 Benalla Regional Art Show, Tatong Memorial Hall, Benalla
2015 Benalla Regional Art Show, Tatong Memorial Hall, Victoria
Recognition, City of Boroondara - Camberwell Civic Centre, Melbourne
Healthy living as part of recovery art competition, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fitzroy
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia & at the Victorian Health Department, Melbourne
2014 Benalla Regional Art Show - Tatong Memorial Hall, Victoria
CONNECTED, The Yarra Gallery, Federation Square, Melbourne
Imaginarium, Exhibition – short film, Multimedia room, The Dax Centre, Parkville
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Melbourne
2013 Colour Me Crazy, Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery, Mildura & Kerang, Victoria
Gala Fundraiser, The Dax Centre, Melbourne
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Melbourne
Fight or flight & “Within Diversity Friendship Springs” Street Art, North Fitzroy
2012 National Festival for the Mental Health Community Coalition, Canberra
In the garden of my mind, Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne
Ruhi Su, 100-year Celebration, Australian Turkish Cultural Association Gallery, Melbourne
VICSERV, Conference, Melbourne
The Melbourne Underground Project, Street art, Emerald House, Melbourne
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Melbourne
CONNECTED, The Yarra Gallery, Federation Square, Melbourne
2011 Graduate Certificate in Visual Art Exhibition, Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne
The view from here, Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne
Poster Exhibition, Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA), Melbourne
2010 Ability, Malvern Town Hall, Malvern
Lifting the Lid, Federation Square, Melbourne
Pink Lady Art Exhibition, Brighton Town Hall, Melbourne
Mind Your Head, Gasworks Arts Park, Melbourne
Art Town, The Olsen Hotel, Melbourne
Life Drawing, The Stables Art Gallery, Melbourne
2010-07 Selected artworks for the Diploma of Visual Art at the Centre for Adult Education (CAE), various locations; The
Gallery - City Library; Eckersley’s, Melbourne
2009 Art in Motion, Smartartz Gallery, Melbourne
Cash & Carry, The Stables Art Gallery, Melbourne
WHITE Exhibition, Arts Incubator Melbourne Central, Melbourne.
2006 16 Weeks, Centre for Adult Education, Melbourne
2002 Adelaide Fringe Festival, Adelaide
2000 Melbourne Moomba Festival Parade, St Mary’s House of Welcome, Melbourne
Awards
2019 Finalist, Islamic Museum of Australia
2018 Nominee, Inspirational Women of Yarra Award
2016 Commendation, Frank Fisher Award
2015 Winner Art competition, Healthy living as part of recovery, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
Recommendation by Carol Cains, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)- Curator for MHFA poster art competition
2012 Recommendation by Humphrey Clegg, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Curator for MHFA poster art
competition
1992 Awarded, Young Citizen of the Year Award, City of Collingwood 1992
Street Art
2013 Within Diversity Friendship Springs, North Fitzroy, Melbourne
2013 Fight or Flight, North Fitzroy, Melbourne
2012 The Melbourne Underground Project, South Melbourne
Happenings
2025 Process Lab: Renegades and Rogues – Life Beyond the System, panel discussion with Heidi Everett, Güler
Altunbas, Pearl Blackk, Matthew Jackman and Sandy Jeffs OAM, Arts Centre Melbourne
Coming Up
2025 A New You - Series and Platform Exploring Neurodiversity, Channel 31 and ctvplus.org.au - to be aired soon