b. 1993 in Palmerston North, Aoetearoa, New Zealand
Lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia
Working within the formal and conceptual framework of contemporary drawing, McAlpine combines technical faculty with an interest in the expanded operations of drawing, including performative actions, sculptural elements and photography. McAlpine’s work, often steeped in the Absurd, seeks to deal with the idiosyncrasies of modern living and fundamental aspects of the human condition. Having spent the last decade exploring the morphology of image-making, McAlpine is increasingly interested in expanding his scope to include more material and process-based interests, through sculpture, that explore the entanglement between labour, material and meaning.
After completing a BFA with Honours at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in 2016, McAlpine has exhibited widely throughout Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, including at Laree Payne Gallery Hamilton, The Wellington Academy of Fine Arts, The Pah Homestead Auckland, The Gallery of Western Australia, Oigall Gallery Melbourne, and CHALK HORSE.
His work has been recognised through finalist selections in the Bowness Prize (2021), the Nillumbik Award (2023), and the Jacaranda Drawing Award (2024). In 2025 he exhibited internationally at Taipei Dangdai with CHALK HORSE, and in 2026 he will present new work at the Melbourne Art Fair with Foenander Galleries and at Art SG in Singapore with CHALK HORSE.
His work is held in the Wallace Arts Trust, the Art House Trust, and Private Collections in Australia and New Zealand.
