Drawn from over 220 entries, the 68 finalists of the ‘2020 Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize’ illustrate the diverse ways in which the human form can be captured through various media.
Many works are self-portraits, others include subjects such as Uncle Jack Charles; artist Guy Maestri, political scientist and biographer Professor Jenny Hocking; classical pianist Simon Tedeschi; filmmaker Kriv Stenders and musician Warren Ellis. Locally, there are a large number of sitters known among the wider community featured including Bundjalung cultural worker Rhoda Roberts; drag performer Maude Boate (Michael Gates); NORPA Artistic Director Julian Louis; visual artist Karla Dickens and the late Aunty Dorrie Gordon.
Denise Alison, A delicate moment in transformation [Maude Boate aka Michael Gates], 2019, digital photograph on paper. Courtesy the artist
Lismore Regional Gallery Director, Brett Adlington, said: ‘It is unsurprising, that in this most challenging of years, many works offer intimate glimpses into the domestic space. Some of these are self-portraits, while others are of partners. The unifying factor is a sense of the artist looking inward into a safe space.’
The 2020 Hurford Hardwood Portrait Prize finalists’ exhibition will be on display at Lismore Regional Gallery, New South Wales, from 7 November 2020 to 31 January 2021. The winner of the $10,000 award will be announced, online, on Friday 6 November by judge, artist Abdul Abdullah. Audiences can vote in the Peoples Choice Award, with the winning artist receiving $1,000 from the Friends of Lismore Regional Gallery.
Jamie Preisz, Hey man don’t you know the world is on fire, oil on canvas, 120 x 120cm. Courtesy the artist
Finalists for 2020: Denise Alison, Louise Allerton, Ann Arora, Marjan Bakhtiarikish, Konrad Bock, Renè Bolten, Karen Jane Borger, Jacob Boylan, Amanda Bromfield, Filippa Buttitta, Foong-Yue Cheah, Molly Darvall, Michelle Dawson, Janine Dello, Peter Derrett OAM, Dawn Duncan-Smith, Facing Australia (Raimond De Weerdt and Karen Donnelly), Kathryn Fenton, Rikki Fisher, Miriam Fraser, Todd Fuller, Shirley Gibson, Anna Glynn, Amala Groom, Michèle Heibel, Hilary Herrmann, Martyn Hodge, Nicole Kelly, Sadami Konchi, Elena Larkin, Susan Ma, Ali Marshall, Samuel Massey, Shannon McCulloch, Genevieve Memory, Zilpha Menghetti, Libby Moore, Anh Nguyen, Antoinette O’Brien, Arion Ocean, Jessica O’Connor, Miriam O’Grady, Travis Paterson, Ana Pollak, Jamie Preisz, Marian Quigley, Caitlin Reilly, Gwen Robson, Matthew Sansom, Lynn Savery, Loribelle Spirovski, Fleur Stevenson, Lisa Stonham, Robyn Sweaney, Joe Swepson, Fiona Taylor, Lenny Thurgate, Seabastion Toast, Datsun Tran, Edward Trost, Melanie Valentine, Asher Veling, Jacklyn Wagner, Rudiger Wasser, Harry Westera, Edwin Wilson, Caroline Zilinsky and Michelle Zuccolo.
