Luke Cornish’s aptitude towards creativity was inherent from an early age. Originally from Canberra, and now living and working in Sydney, Cornish is known in the urban art world by his moniker, ELK.

Incorporating his background in urban contemporary art, Cornish traverses the expansiveness of the street environment, adapting his practice to more artistically controlled materials such as canvas, aluminium, board and glass, effortlessly. Cornish’s practice is meticulous. Each of his artworks are constructed from up to 1,000 sheets of acetate stencils and up to 243 different colours of layered aerosol paint, until they take on a photographic realism. Just like our footprint is merely momentary in the sands of time, Cornish’s work is founded in a style which had its fundamentals in ephemerality. Stencil art was one of the earliest forms of social and political activism and Cornish’s practice doesn’t stray far from this intention.

Cornish’s oeuvre reads like a journal - each artwork a representation of either a first-hand experience or part of a broader narrative intent on capturing the human spirit. His documentary and activist artworks capture the social and political issues relevant to the macrocosm of our time and function as visual statements of war, portraying individuals directly affected by it. His portrait works are also deep in meaning, depicting accurately rendered and highly evocative representations of their subject. In 2012, his skill to portraiture was critically affirmed, with his portrait of Father Bob Maguire being selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize. The first stencil artist to do so in the Prize’s history. 

Cornish’s desire to share the advantages of his practice with young people bearing the brunt of war, stems from a personal preoccupation to humanitarianism. Cornish sees his practice as having given so much back to him, that he is strongly driven to giving back to both local communities and the communities to which his subjects belong. In early 2017 he co-founded the 'For Syria's Children' Charity organisation, which works in conjunction with Non- Government Organisations on the ground in Syria, raising much needed funds for Syrian children affected by conflict.

Cornish’s accolades are in alignment with the trajectory of his career. Cornish is a three time Archibald prize finalist and has won many awards including the coveted Holding Redlich People's Choice Award at the Salon des Refusés in 2017, the Churchill fellowship in 2013 and was a finalist in the Sulman prize in the same year. In 2011, he was a finalist in the Metro Art Prize, won the Australian Stencil Art prize in 2011, and in 2008 he won the most popular stencil at Melbourne Stencil Festival. In 2012, Cornish’s short film, ‘Me- We’, which documented the process and construction of his portrait of Father Bob Maguire for entry into the 2012 Archibald Prize, was shortlisted the prestigious Tropfest Film Festival.

CV - Luke Cornish - E.L.K

AWARDS and COLLECTIONS

2025- Archibald Prize, AGNSW, Finalist

2025- Deakin University Collection, Acquisition

2024- Gallipoli Prize, Winner

2023- Archibald Prize, Finalist

2020- Waverley Art Prize, Winner, printmakers Prize

2020- National Gallery of Victoria, Acquisition

2019- Kennedy prize, Finalist

2019- Archibald prize, Finalist

2018- Salon de Refusés, SH Ervine Gallery, Sydney

2017- Salon de Refusés, SH Ervine Gallery, Sydney (Holding Redlich Peoples Choice Award) 2016- Australian War Memorial, Canberra (acquisition)

2016- Calleen art award, Cowra regional gallery, Finalist

2015- Brisbane Art Prize, Finalist

2015- Deakin small sculpture pize, Finalist

2015- Moreton Bay Regional Art award, Finalist

2015- Calleen art award, Cowra regional gallery, Finalist

2015- Gold Coast Art Gallery, QLD (acquisition)

2014- Black Swan Prize, Finalist

2014- Bond University Collection, QLD

2014- Corrigan Collection

2013- Churchill Fellowship, Awardee

2013- National Portrait Gallery, Canberra (acquisition)

2013- Sulman prize, Finalist

2012- Moran Portrait prize, semi-finalist

2012- Archibald prize, Finalist

2012- Tropfest, shortlisted

2011- Metro Art Prize, Finalist

2010- Australian Stencil Art Prize, Winner

2009- Ballarat Gallery of Modern Art (acquisition)

2009- Australian Stencil art prize, Runner up

2008- Melbourne Stencil Festival, Peoples choice