Thirty-five contemporary Australian artists have been selected as finalists for the 2024 edition of this esteemed annual $100,000 acquisitive landscape prize. Together, they represent an exciting cross-section of established and early career artists working in various mediums, including oil, acrylic, graphite, pencil, enamel, woodcut prints and digital etching, offering diverse and contemplative interpretations of the Australian landscape.
Naomi Hobson’s WUUKANTA: Life On the River
Robert Fielding’s Nganampa Manta, explores his community’s ongoing fight to protect their land and maintain their culture, driven by the sacredness of the country.
Zaachariaha Fielding’s Inma presents his cultural community through a childhood lens, recalling observations of inma (song and dance) and movement.
Rosie Hastie’s Scotts Peak is a photograph of a constructed recreation of the mountain top in South West Tasmania, prompting contemplation on the fragility and deceptive permanence of the site.
Naomi Hobson’s WUUKANTA: Life On the River represents the story cycle of the river, a place of cultural importance and nourishment from one generation of the artist’s family to the next.
Harrison Bowe’s By Water Over Time depicts the First Split on Tasmania’s Gordon River, exploring the emotive qualities and contrast of the contorted cliffs and quiet river.
Belinda Yee, Graphite Profile (Harbour 2)
Belinda Yee’s Graphite Profile (Harbour 2) traces the forms and undulations of a rock-face near Sydney Harbour, the work a meditation on the geological time embedded in the Australian landscape.
Jane Burton’s Shadowlands depicts the ruin of a late nineteenth century house lying abandoned and derelict on a rural plain in Victoria.
Helen Mueller’s Walking on Bruny 4 is a record of her experience of the landscape, and a contemplation of how she might belong.
Stephanie Tabram’s submission Afternoon below Table Top Mountain depicts Lake Crescent, situated in Tasmania’s remote Central Highlands, capturing moments of luminosity and shadow across the landscape.
Jane Burton, Shadowlands
The 2024 judging panel consisted of Tina Baum, Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia; Jane Devery, Senior Curator of Exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; and Dr Neil Haddon, British-Australian artist and Associate Head of Art at the University of Tasmania.
The judges commented: “The selection process led us through a captivating array of interpretations that explore the essence of place, the ever-changing views of land, and that weave together contemporary views with older narratives to depict a connection (or disconnection) to Australian landscapes. It has been fascinating to see such a nuanced interplay of tradition and innovation and we look forward to seeing the works firsthand to discover more about their production and material qualities. It’ll be a great show!”
Helen Mueller, Walking on Bruny 4
Full list of 2024 finalists:
Raymond Arnold, Leon Russell Black, Katherine Boland, Harrison Bowe, Jane Burton, Robert Fielding, Zaachariaha Fielding, Fiona Francois, Zoe Grey, Rosie Hastie, Naomi Hobson, Nicola Hooper, Charles Inkamala, Amanda Johnson, Kieren Karritpul, David Keeling, Iluwanti Ken, Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarray, Tony Lloyd, Andrew Mezei, Milan Milojevic, Helen Mueller, Hubert Pareroultja, Laura Patterson, Martin Rek, Troy Ruffels, Julia Sirianni, Stephanie Tabram, Conrad Tipungwuti, Rhoda Tjitayi, Meg Walch, Joe Whyte, Philip Wolfhagen, Belinda Yee, and Frank Young.
Alongside the $100,000 Major Prize, there is the $10,000 Residency Prize, the $2,500 People’s Choice Award, the $1,000 Packing Room Prize, and $1,500 worth of prizes for students.
The finalists’ works will be presented in an exhibition at Hadley’s Orient Hotel from 3 to 25 August 2024, with the winning work announced on 2 August.
