The annual Mosman Youth Art Prize attracts hundreds of entrants aged between 12 and 21, from across NSW and interstate, including Queensland and Western Australia. With just over 300 entries were received, 208 works – in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and video – were selected for exhibition and in the running for prizes.
Acclaimed Sydney multi-disciplinary artist Liam Benson judged this year’s entries, selecting 20 talented young artists as winners; their success announced at the opening night of at Mosman Art Gallery on Friday 10 May.
First Prize – Junior, 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize: Gloria Han, The island, acrylic on canvas
After witnessing the diversity of mediums and styles, Benson says he was ‘struck by the depth, boldness and emotion within the collection. The entries of this year’s prize remind me that the next generation are already thinking about the world we all must navigate, whilst using their artist voices to express their experience with great empathy and compassion.’
This empathy and compassion is evident in the winners of each age category: Tertiary (18-21 years), Senior (15-17) and Junior (12-14). The winner of first prize in the Tertiary category went to 19-year old University of NSW student James Baldwin of Glenquarry for his mixed media installation incorporating photography, collage and ceramics. Titled Repaired legacies, the work looks at the horrors of war and the impact it has on family histories and memories.
First Prize – Secondary, 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize: Marium El-hajj, Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes, oil on canvas
The winner of first prize in the Secondary category was awarded to 16-year Dulwich Hill High School of Visual Arts & Design student Marium El-hajj (Rockdale) for oil painting titled Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes: Child of war. The moving self-portrait, which portrays a school girl displaying wounds on her body and face, forces the viewer to look beyond their own personal experiences to consider the effects of trauma. Belrose resident and Covenant Christian School student Gloria Han was awarded first prize in the Junior category for her work titled The island. The small acrylic on canvas painting showcases the 14-year old artist’s impressive use of colour and brush technique.
Since it began in 1988, the Mosman Youth Art Prize has achieved a national profile and offers young people around the country an opportunity to exhibit their work in a public gallery, as well as offering cash prizes totalling over $7,000, and art scholarships, materials and additional prizes valued over $5,000.
First Prize – Tertiary, 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize: James Baldwin, Repaired legacies: Life through my mother’s eyes
2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize winners:
Junior
First Prize: Gloria Han, The island
Second Prize: Kate Zhong, Consider
Third Prize: Tiarn Garland, Last call
Highly Commended: Rachel Chen, A wrinkle in nature
Highly Commended: Samantha Klein, Life is Luck
Senior
First Prize: Marium El-hajj, Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes: Child of war (self-portrait)
Second Prize: Tamsyn Turner, Wrap me
Third Prize: Zhiqing Liu, To have nothing at all
Highly Commended: Phyllis Chan, Conscious?
Tertiary
First Prize: James Baldwin, Repaired legacies
Second Prize: Emily Francis, Finding Sally: Life through my mother’s eyes
Third Prize: Laura Hayley, Experimental Arts
Highly Commended: Marine Anoshian, My utopia
Friends of the Gallery Encouragement Award – Junior: Rachael Gong, World without trees
Friends of the Gallery Encouragement Award – Senior: Huw Bradshaw, Mint Hotel introspection
Friends of the Gallery Encouragement Award – Tertiary: Emily Francis, Finding Sally: Life through my mother’s eyes
Mosman Art Society / Art Smart Encouragement Award: Max Gregg, Away
Australian Watercolour Institute Encouragement Award: Maya Cook, Therapy dog: A battle with breast cancer
The Julian Ashton Art School Full Scholarship: Micah Lihachov, The transfiguration
The Julian Ashton Art School Summer Scholarship: Jenna Caspary, Bravery at its best
The 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize is on show at Mosman Art Gallery from 11 May to 9 June 2019.
