Prizes

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Noel McKenna

2024, Artist, Exhibition, Prizes / By / , , ,

Congratulations to Noel McKenna, finalist in both the Adelaide Perry Prize and the Darling Portrait Prize.

The Adelaide Perry Prize is an annual acquisitive award hosted by PLC, Sydney and was judged by Sasha Grishin this year.

The Darling Portrait Prize is a biennial national prize for Australian portrait painting honouring the legacy of Mr L Gordon Darling AC CMG (1921-2015). This year the prize will be judged by Bree Pickering, Director, National Portrait Gallery; Erin Vink, Curator First Nations Art (local and global), Art Gallery of New South Wales and Tara Heffernan, Art Historian and Critic. An exhibition of the finalists’ work will be held at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra from 22 June to 22 September 2024.

Noel McKenna also features in the latest issue of MCA magazine. Purchase your copy here.

The Darling Portrait Prize
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
22 June – 22 September 2024

Glover Prize Finalist: David Keeling

2024, Artist, Prizes / By / ,

Congratulations David Keeling, finalist in the John Glover Acquisitive Prize 2024. His painting Freycinet track-a thousand shadows deep featured in an exhibition of the finalists’ work earlier this month. View the virtual tour of the exhibition here. Read more about David Keeling’s painting here.

The Alice Prize Highly Commended: Mary Barton

2024, Artist, Prizes / By / , ,

Congratulations Mary Barton. Her painting entitled The walls we build for ourselves, 2023-2024 was a finalist and was highly commended in the The Alice Prize National Contemporary Art Award. Her work is now showing alongside Fiona Foley’s in an exhibition of the finalists’ work at Araluen Arts Centre. Read more about Mary’s work here.

The Alice Prize National Contemporary Art Award
Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
until 12 May 2024

Mary Barton is exhibiting at Niagara Galleries in July 2024. 

The Alice Prize Winner: Fiona Foley

2024, Artist, Prizes / By / , ,

Congratulations to Fiona Foley on winning the 2024 Alice Prize for her video work Janjari. Filmed on location on K’gari (Fraser Island), Janjari explores and deconstructs colonial mythmaking. Read more about her work here.

Coordinated by the Alice Springs Art Foundation, the Alice Prize is a biennial acquisitive prize. An exhibition of the finalists’ work, including work by Fiona Foley and Mary Barton is now on at Araluen Arts Centre.

The Alice Prize National Contemporary Art Award
Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
until 12 May 2024

TELSTRA NATSIAA WINNER Brenda L. Croft

2023, Artist, Exhibition, Prizes / By / , , ,

Congratulations Brenda L. Croft, winner of the Telstra Work on Paper Award at the 2023 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award (NATSIAA). The Telstra NATSIAA is Australia’s longest running and most prestigious Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award. The Award showcases the very best contemporary art from around the country, from emerging and established artists.

The 2023 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards exhibition features Croft’s work (above), at Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory until February 2024. Read more about the finalists in The Guardian here and The Sydney Morning Herald here. View the virtual exhibition here.

In addition, Brenda L. Croft’s portrait, taken with the assistance of Prue Hazelgrove, blood/memory: Brenda & Christopher (Gurindji/Malngnin/Mudburra; Mara/ Nandi/Njarrindjerri/Ritharrngu), which has been shortlisted for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023 is showing as part of the finalists’ exhibition at National Portrait Gallery, Canberra until 1 October. Read more about the portrait here.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023
National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
until Saturday, 1 October 2023

Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory, Darwin
until Sunday, 18 February 2024

Artist Spotlight: Stephen Benwell

2023, Artist, Exhibition, Prizes / By / , ,

Stephen Benwell‘s work features in two current exhibitions in New South Wales, as well as an upcoming exhibition at Bundanon Art Museum. Thinking Through Pink at Wollongong Art Gallery is curated by Dr Sally Gray and includes works from the Wollongong Art Gallery collection; decorative arts from the Powerhouse collection, Sydney; posters from the archives of second-wave feminist artists Jan Fieldsend and Marie McMahon and works by invited contemporary artists.

Clay Dynasty at Powerhouse Museum celebrates studio ceramics in Australia and features works from the 1960s through to the present day. The exhibition features more than 400 objects from the Powerhouse’s significant ceramics collection, including works by Stephen Benwell and Angela Brennan.

The upcoming exhibition Fantastic Forms celebrates Bundanon’s 30th Anniversary. Curated by Boe-Lin Bastian and Sophie O’Brien, Fantastic forms features ceramics, sculpture and animation, and brings together new commissions by three contemporary Australian artists, Nabilah Nordin, Stephen Benwell and Rubyrose Bancroft, with Bundanon’s expansive collection of drawings by artist William Merric Boyd (1888 –1959), Arthur Boyd’s father. 

Clay Dynasty
Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo, Sydney
until 5 March 2023

Thinking Through Pink
Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong, New South Wales
until 5 March 2023

Fantastic Forms
Bundanon Art Museum, Illaroo, New South Wales1 April – 18 June 2023

Artist Spotlight: Stephen Benwell

2022, Artist, Exhibition, Prizes / By / , ,

Stephen Benwell‘s work features in a number of current exhibitions nationally. His work was shortlisted for the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize and an exhibition of the 49 finalists’ work is currently showing at Woollahra Gallery. ⁠Voting for the Viewer’s Choice Award is open until Sunday, 20 November. Vote here.  

Thinking Through Pink, opening next month at Wollongong Art Gallery also features Benwell’s work. The exhibition, described as a contemplation on the politics and pleasures of colour, is curated by Dr Sally Gray and includes works from the Wollongong Art Gallery collection; decorative arts from the Powerhouse collection, Sydney; posters from the archives of second-wave feminist artists Jan Fieldsend and Marie McMahon and works by invited contemporary artists.

In addition, Stephen Benwell’s work is included in the exhibition The Sun at Midnight, currently at The Hellenic Museum, Melbourne. The exhibition features work by five contemporary artists, including Benwell and reflects the continuing influence of Greek classicism. Tai Snaith reviewed the exhibition on RRR. Listen to her review here. 

Benwell’s work is also featured in the exhibition Clay Dynasty at Powerhouse Museum (see below for details). 

2022 Woollahra Sculpture Prize
Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Double Bay, Sydney
until 20 November 2022

The Sun at Midnight
The Hellenic Museum, Melbourne
until early 2023

Clay Dynasty
Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo, Sydney
until 5 March 2023

Thinking Through Pink
Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong, New South Wales
3 December 2022 – 5 March 2023

Noel McKenna in the Archibald Prize Exhibition

2022, Artist, Exhibition, Prizes / By / , , , , ,

The Regional Tour of 2022 Archibald Finalists continues. The exhibition, including Noel McKenna‘s work, is now at Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.

Noel McKenna’s Archibald Prize finalist portrait of Patrick Corrigan AM, with Rosie (above) features businessman, art collector and generous benefactor Patrick Corrigan. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000 for service to the visual arts, particularly in philanthropy. McKenna noted that “Pat is a good friend and a supporter of many artists. He lives near me and often drops by for a cup of tea and biscuits. He was born in China and has had a very interesting life, so he is always good to spend time with”. Here his is depicted with McKenna’s dog Rosie.

The Archibald Prize 2022 Regional Tour

Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, Katoomba, New South Wales
until 4 December 2022

Archibald Prize exhibition at Gippsland Gallery

2021, Artist, Prizes / By / , ,

The Archibald Prize 2021 finalists’ exhibition is now showing at Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale. The Gippsland Art Gallery is the exclusive Victorian tour venue for the Archibald Prize 2021 regional tour. We’re delighted that Julia Ciccarone‘s ANZ People’s Choice Award Winning entry The Sea Within is included in the exhibition and we’re hopeful that people will be able to see the exhibition in person before it closes next month.

The Archibald Prize 2021
Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale
until Sunday, 21 November 2021

Archibald Prize People’s Choice winner Julia Ciccarone

2021, Artist, Prizes / By / , ,

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Julia Ciccarone has been awarded the 2021 ANZ People’s Choice award for her incredible self-portrait The sea within.⁠
⁠
The Art Gallery of New South Wales made the announcement this morning and artist Julia Ciccarone is honoured and so grateful that people have been able to engage with her work during a difficult year. ⁠
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In her artwork statement, Julia Ciccarone said “I painted this picture last year when Melbourne was in lockdown due to COVID19. The bushfires ravaged the state. Life was definitely intense and at times overwhelming and uncertain. We are all experiencing radical changes affecting both culture and nature. It is a time of great uncertainty. We share in a collective trauma. But the ocean – which features large in my life in my life and art – is my healing place.”⁠
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Although we have been unable to view the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales we hope that restrictions will ease in time to see the exhibition of finalists work at Gippsland Gallery in October. 

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