The $50,000 ‘National Works on Paper Prize’ (NWOP) winners have been announced, presented by Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG). NWOP is a biennial acquisitive prize aimed at supporting and promoting contemporary Australian artists working on or with paper. A recent collaboration between Indigenous photographer James Tylor and artist Laura Wills has won the duo the $15,000 ‘Mornington Peninsula Shire / Beleura – The Tallis Foundation’ major acquisitive award. While the $3,500 ‘Ursula Hoff Institute Emerging Artist Award’, which proudly supports Post Graduate excellence in Visual Arts and Music is awarded to Elena Papanikolakis. Further acquisitions include works by Riley Payne, Hubert Pareroultja, Solomon Booth, Deanna Hitti and Rosie Weiss, and The Friends of MPRG acquired a work by Ray Arnold.
Tylor James and Laura Wills, The Forgotten Wars, 2017, coloured pencil on photographic print 5 sheets, 50 x 50cm (each image). Represented by Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne. Courtesy the artists and Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
The work titled The Forgotten Wars (2017) was selected for the major prize from 63 finalists, which were this year drawn from over 1,000 entries. Bringing together Tylor’s landscape photographs and Wills’ drawings The Forgotten Wars explores the atrocities inflicted on Aboriginal people by the British Government between 1788-1930.
The judges said the work is ‘a unique collaboration between an Indigenous and non-Indigenous artist, bringing together James Tylor’s landscape photographs with Laura Wills delicate drawings influenced by historical survey maps. A timely work that is rewarding on multiple levels.’
Director of the MPRG Jane Alexander further commented that the artwork ‘rewards with contemplation, and provocates important discussions about the degradation of landscape and our hidden history. Even though it is not based on the Mornington Peninsula, we know that these atrocities happened here. The work takes us out of textbook history and into a far more real history.‘
Georgie Mattingley, I Had to Lift the Calf, 2018, hand-tinted silver gelatin prin. Courtesy the artist and Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Finalist 2018 National Works on Paper Prize’
2018 shortlisted artists: Raymond Arnold, Peter Atkins, Alec Baker, Martin Bell, Ray Besserdin, Solomon Booth, David Bosun, Godwin Bradbeer, Kate Briscoe, Jane Brown, Jon Campbell, Susanna Castleden, Danica Chappell, Hua Cun Chen, Sam Cranstoun, Lesley Duxbury, Robert Fielding, David Frazer, Ian Friend, Dana Harris, Katherine Hattam, Pei Pei He, Kendal Heyes, Mark Hislop, Deanna Hitti, Anna Hoyle, Natalya Hughes, Alana Hunt, Locust Jones, Jennifer Joseph, Noŋgirrŋa Marawili , Brian Martin, Georgie Mattingley, Mish Meijers, Viv Miller, Helen Mueller, John Nixon, Open Spatial Workshop, Elena Papanikolakis, Louise Paramor, Hubert Pareroultja, Jemima Parker, Riley Payne, Dan Price, Lisa Reid, Louise Rippert, Cameron Robbins, Brian Robinson, Elissa Sampson, Emily Sandrussi, Geoff Sargeant, Jo Scicluna, Liz Shreeve, William Smeets, Kylie Stillman, TextaQueen, James Tylor and Laura Wills, Trent Walter, Rosie Weiss, Mumu Mike Williams, Puna Yanima, Yvonne Zago and Tianli Zu.
The ‘National Works on Paper Prize’ exhibition features traditional approaches to working with paper, along with works that use new technological mediums. On show at Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery until 9 September.
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery
Until 9 September, 2018
Melbourne
