Joel Arthur, born in Canberra and now based in Sydney, considers the role of perception and illusionism through representation and abstraction. His painting style slips between abstraction and expressionism, drawing from his immediate surroundings, the urban environment, and art history. Utilising a variety of materials and mediums, his paintings explore utopian and dystopian landscapes that appear at once both foreign and familiar. Arthur is undertaking his Masters in Fine Art by Research at the University of New South Wales School of Art and Design and previously graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Art (Honours) from the Australian National University (ANU) School of Art in 2014.He is a finalist in the 2024 Bayside Painting Prize, and in 2023 was selected as a finalist in the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, Waverley Art Prize, Fremantle Print Award, and the Muswellbrook Art Prize. Arthur was also awarded Runner Up and Highly Commended at the 2022 Waverley Art Prize, selected as a finalist in the Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize 2022, and Guirguis New Art Prize 2017. His work is held in collections including Artbank Sydney, the Australian National University, Deloitte, and KPMG.