A dark sculpture invoking images of environmental destruction, the holocaust and death has won the 2017 Blacktown City Art Prize.
Tess Mehonoshen from Brisbane was awarded the prize for Measuring Loss, a thoughtful and tactile sculpture made of cement, clay, iron oxide and fabric.
The judges referred to the winning artwork as ‘slow release’ and said “the longer we spent with the work the more it touched on various subjects such as environmental destruction, death, the Holocaust, and loss of health due to mining,” they said in their judging report.
Highly Commended were Carol Ann Fitzgerald for Landscape and Memory – Wiradjuri Country, and Minka Gillian for Pink Outburst – A Self Portrait.
Kristone Capistrano of Rooty Hill was awarded the Local Artist Prize for Breath, an arresting yet optimistic depiction of a newborn baby.
The judges said “the work was technically proficient, went beyond grace, and pointed to the future of multiculturalism in Blacktown”.
Highly Commended was Terry Murphy of Riverstone for Tabulae Unum Ex Oculis.
First prize in the Aboriginal Artist category was Naomi Grant for Dad’s Country.
The judges commended the artist’s contemporary style of blending Indigenous painting techniques with Western agricultural landscape depictions to create a fresh take on abstract painting.
Highly Commended was Peter Hinton for Quality of a Few Minutes #1 and 2 – A Study on Whitlam.
The judging panel: Khadim Ali (artist and Blacktown resident), Dominic Mersch (gallery owner and arts advocate) and Felicity Fenner (curator, academic and Director of UNSW Galleries), faced the difficult task of selecting winning works from a record number of 602 entries.
The judges were very impressed with the overall standard of entries which included nationally recognised artists alongside emerging local artists.
The Blacktown City Art Prize is proudly supported by Ford Land Company, WestLink M7, Blacktown Workers’ Club and the Sustainable Living Blacktown of Blacktown City Council.
At the launch of the 2017 Blacktown City Art prize, Council honoured the contribution of the late Councillor and former Mayor, Leo Kelly OAM, by re-naming Blacktown’s Arts Centre: The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre.