The Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) has recently announced the winners of the Indigenous Ceramic Art Award (ICAA), the premier national award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists working in ceramics, at the official opening of the exhibition last Saturday 24th May.
The winning works were selected from 22 short-listed artists from across Australia, including Adelaide, Melbourne, Ernabella, Cairns, Torres Strait Islands, Bankstown, Sydney and Victoria.
The $20,000 first prize recipients are the Bankstown Koori Elders Group for their work After The Rain, Bungle Bungle. SAM Director, Kirsten Paiseley comments, ‘We were very impressed with the scale and collaborative nature of the Bankstown Koori Elders Group and intrigued by the way in which they had come together from various cultural and language groups to conceive and beautifully resolve a single vision of the remote landscape of the Bungle Bungles. The vibrant crystal blue glaze depicting rock-pools created after the rain is evocative of a remarkable place in Australia and shares their appreciation for the ancient rock formations there.’
The $10,000 second prize has been awarded to Alison Milyika Carroll, a Pitjantjatjara artist for her work Ngayuku Walka.
The $3,000 acquisitive Encouragement Award for a Victorian artist has been awarded to Robyne Latham, a Yamatji woman from Western Australia, who has lived in Melbourne for the past 28 years. In her work PODS3, Robyne references the lynching of Aboriginal men for providing bush tucker for their families.
Three Special Acquisition Prizes have been warded to Tanya Flower, Shauna Colin and Anne Thompson.
The ICAA encourages and stimulates excellence, providing cultural exchange opportunities for Indigenous artists from around Australia and regional Victoria. This biennial award exhibition surveys current Indigenous ceramic art practise, demonstrating current developments in the field, including contemporary and traditional works.
Shepparton Art Museum
Until 10 August, 2014
Victoria
1. Bankstown Koori Elders Group, After The Rain Bungle Bungle, 2013, ceramic on MDF board, 39.5 x 93 x 197 x 487cm
2. Alison Milyika Carroll, Ngayuku Walka, 2014, ceramic, 54 x 29 x 30cm
3. Robyne Latham, PODS3, 2014, terracotta, 20 x 35 x 35 x 90cm
Images courtesy of the artists
Photos by Jamie Durrant
