Now in its 7th year, the Stencil Art Prize, the largest stencil event in the world, takes the art of stencil making to a whole new level enabling artists to expand and explore alternative ways of approaching the boundaries of the art form.
With 92 stencil finalists from 21 countries, the 2015 Stencil Art Prize features an incredible selection of stencil artworks on canvases, reclaimed and found objects including beer tins, surfboards, skateboards, collaged imagery, sculptural stencils, stencils that make audio noise and delicate materials such as paper. The exhibition will feature nearly every possible stencil making method, including hand-cut stencil arrangements, screen-printing, technologically assisted productions and collecting.
On Friday 23 October, Polish collective Monstfur (Poland) were announced, to a packed crowd of 800 people, as this year’s winners. Their winning hand-cut stencil, GRIME S0-019, depicts a skull combined with a train on a vintage wooden door. Monstfur will take home a $3000 cash prize, plus a Stencil Art Prize Award Plate by Royal Doulton featuring Pure Evil’s Marilyn Marlene Dali design.
The judging panel of the Stencil Art Prize was comprised of leading Australian graffiti artist Phibs and printmaker and arts manager Tristan Chant.
Monstfur was founded in 2006 by two young artists from Częstochowa in the southern part of Poland. The artists work collaboratively together on their hand cut stencils and describe themselves as” byproducts of modern life and the cultural carrion of generations past”.
They draw inspiration from an absurd sense of Polish humour and frequently depict humans’ curious behaviours and traditions.
Monstfur’s works are mostly stories of the everyday man and his world of deviations, habits, and weaknesses, but also – joy and remarkable interests. The artworks evoke their early childhood in the 80s, as well as industrial design, urban dystopia and social infrastructure.
Countries represented in the 2015 Stencil Art Prize include Brazil, Japan, Cyprus, Turkey, Colombia, United Kingdom, Chile, Australia, Russia, U.S.A, France, Guatemala Scotland, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic, Thailand, Germany, Norway, Italy, Poland and The Netherlands.
aMBUSH Gallery
Until 30 October, 2015
Sydney
Monstfur, GRIME S0-019
