Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts has announced the ten finalists for the inaugural Linden Art Prize, a non-acquisitive contemporary art award established for artists graduating from a Masters degree or PhD in 2013 from a Victorian University.
Congratulations…
Eric Demetriou
The work Knuckle Song (feed a piano through a woodchipper), 2013 is from a body of work created for Demetriou’s Masters project Noise and Mischief. For the artist ‘the application of noise is partnered with a mischievous demeanour to incite a thrill-seeking experience that flirts with trouble and danger through outcomes of kinetic sound-based sculpture.’
Simon FinnThrough the works Simulant, 2013 and Downward Spiral, 2013 Simon Finn explores the relationship between artist, environment and technology. Using both sculpture and work on paper he investigates the differences between represented and real environments and the instability of digital depictions in an age of image saturation.
Emma HamiltonEmma Hamilton’s delicate sculptural work Salt Level, 2013 reflects an ongoing interest in the relationship between sculpture and photography. Using the landscapes of dry salt lakes she examines the mirror image, the horizon line and the concept of ‘visual touching’.
Kerry LeonardKerry Leonard’s work Never Seen, 2013 explores personal notions of identity and beauty. By positioning the viewer as the object, the artist asks them to consider themselves or their ‘self’. Never Seen is one of four spatial works in the collection Eyes of the Beholder in which Leonard ‘seeks to subvert traditional perceptions and expectations of identity.’
Kasia LynchKasia Lynch’s work manifests as a combination of sculpture, installation and image making. In the floor based sculpture Metaphysical multi-court, 2013 she explores the relationships between bodies, objects and space in the sub-cultural space of the gymnasium. Through fetishising elements of game play and ritual, her work often appears as an undefined invitation to action, one that is at once familiar and yet unknown.
Roberta Joy Rich
Roberta Joy Rich’s practice engages with notions of ‘authentic’ identity construction in contemporary culture. Rich, drawing on her South African and Australian identity, responds to representation and conceptions of ‘race’ with satire and humour in her video and installation projects. Her work Ek is in ‘n Hoek Vasgekeur/I’m Cornered, 2013 re-stages Adrian Piper’s video installation Cornered (1988) to re-visit questions, surrounding definitions of ‘race’ and the language of ‘race’.
Kiron RobinsonIn the two works, any worries/many worries, 2010 and Used Hours/Wasted Hours, 2013, Kiron Robinson uses a range of mediums to investigate ideas of doubt, faith and failure. He seeks to create an anxiety between what a material is and what it is not, leading to a paradox in the work which unravels as it constructs
Nina RossNina Ross’s work Untitled #1 (Fish), 2011, a self-portrait performance, draws on her experiences of living in Norwary and learning Norwegian to investigate the interpretation and appropriation of words. Working predominantly with video, performance and photography Ross’ work explores language acquisition in a globalised world.
Debbie SymonsDebbie Symons’ work World Species Market, 2012 was completed during her PhD research titled Anthropocentrism, Endangered Species and the Environmental Dilemma. Focussing on two central themes within humanity’s ecological conundrum: the precarious position of non-human species and the ties between environmental degradation and free market capitalism, the work seeks to sensitise a desensitised society, presenting environmental data through a contemporary art practice.
Kent WilsonKent Wilson uses the ornamental plant to explore systems and networks in his sculptural practice. In his work Rhythm Code, 2013 he uses the domestic plant to investigate intimate relationships. Borrowing houseplants from his network of friends and family he explores ideas concerning the human relationship to plants and the nature of nurturing.
Winners of the Linden Art Prize will be announced on Thursday 20 February, 6-8pm at the exhibitions opening night by the Lord Mayor of the City of Port Phillip, Cr Amanda Stevens.
Linden Centre For Contemporary Arts
21 February to 30 March, 2014
Melbourne
Eric Demetriou, Knuckle Song (feed a piano through a woodchipper), 2013
Simon Finn, Downward Spiral One, 2013, charcoal on paper
Emma Hamilton, Salt Level, 2013, hand blown glass
Kerry Leonard, Never Seen, 2013, aluminium, steel, mdf, plywood, acrylic mirror, nylon fabric, webcam, laptop, electronic componentry
Kasia Lynch, Metaphysical multi-court, 2013, mdf, velvet flock
Roberta Joy Rich, Ek is in ‘n Hoek Vasgekeur / I’m Cornered, 2013, video installation, 38:00 mins
Kiron Robinson, Used Hours/Wasted Hours, 2013, paper, ink
Nina Ross, Untitled #1 (fish), 2012, HD video, 3:29 mins
Debbie Symons, World Species Market, 2013, video, 5:31 mins
Kent Wilson, Rhythm Code, 2013, installation
