Julia deVille, Charon, 2011, taxidermy and mixed media
The 2012 City of Hobart Art Prize exhibition is a national survey of the best work in the media of Fibre and Paint by the most outstanding artists in Australia. The Art Prize this year has attracted entries by some of Australia’s most significant artists including past Prize winners Tim Burns (1994), Mary Scott (2009) and Megan Keating (2011) and Aboriginal artists Vicki West, Emily Pwerle, Mavis Ganambarr, Janie Petyarre Morgan and Margaret Loy Pula.
Lord Mayor of Hobart, Alderman Damon Thomas announced the winners of the 24th City of Hobart Art Prize last Friday, October 5th, at the Hobart Town Hall. “This year the Prize is truly national with a great increase in participation by Aboriginal artists. I am very proud to announce that one of our winners, Katie Petyarre Morgan is from a remote indigenous community in the heart of the country.”“We might say the Prize has gone international in that our other winner, Julia deVille is from New Zealand but is also an Australian citizen.”
“I congratulate both winners especially as this is the first major art award for both of them. I also congratulate the commended artists, Kate James and Megan Keating, who was last year’s winner for Paper. The standard is again extremely high and I thank the judges for the enormous effort in selecting the finalists and winners from the many entries,” said Alderman Thomas.
From approximately 400 entries, 35 finalists were selected for exhibition, 19 in Paint and 17 in Fibre. 12 of the exhibiting artists are Tasmanian.
2012 City of Hobart Art Prize judges were:
Sue Backhouse, Senior Curator of Art, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery.
Joe Pascoe, CEO and Artistic Director, Craft Victoria
Wayne Tunnicliffe, Head Curator of Australian Art, Art Gallery of NSW (first and second round)
Natasha Bullock, Curator, Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of NSW (final round)
Alderman Thomas said, “I am extremely grateful to our long term partner, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery who, during this year of redevelopment upheaval has still been able to support and accommodate the Prize. I am also very grateful to the Mercury and Focal Printing for their sponsorship support.”
Julia deVille: Winner 2012 City of Hobart Art Prize – Fibre category
Julia deVille is from New Zealand and has been based in Melbourne since 2001. She has trained in gold- and silversmithing, and taxidermy. Julia has had solo exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, London and Paris. She was selected for Primavera (2006) at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and Gothic Fashion in New York (2008). Two of her works are held in the MONA collection. Julia is a strict vegetarian who uses only animals that have died of natural causes for her taxidermy work.
Katie Petyarre Morgan: Winner 2012 City of Hobart Art Prize – Paint category
Katie Petyarre Morgan, Bush Orange (detail), 2012. Photographed by Jonathan Wherrett.
Katie Petyarre (pronounced ‘petjada’) Morgan lives in the outstation of Irrultja in the Aboriginal community of Utopia in the Northern Territory, approximately 270 kms northeast of Alice Springs. She participated in the Batik Project of the 1980s and has been involved in Awelye (Women’s ceremonies) from an early age. An Alyawarre speaker, her main Dreaming is Bush Orange (Atwakee). In 2006 Katie began painting on canvas, under the guidance of her aunties and particularly her cousin Barbara Weir who encouraged Katie to develop her individual style. Katie has exhibited extensively since 1989 and has work in the collection of the Art Gallery of NSW and Holmes a Court Collection.
Highly Commended – Fibre: Kate James (Victoria), Cornucopia, 2012
Kate James (Victoria), Cornucopia, 2012. Photographed by Jonathan Wherrett.
Highly Commended – Paint: Megan Keating (Tasmania), Nature Strip #2 Bramble, 2012
Megan Keating (Tasmania), Nature Strip #2 Bramble (detail), 2012. Photographed by Jonathan Wherrett.
Visitors will be able to vote in the People’s Choice Award which is a cash award of $1000 for the most popular work in the exhibition. A voter will win a $100 gift voucher courtesy of the Hobart City Council from their choice of Artery, the Hobart Bookshop or Music Without Frontiers.
The City of Hobart Art Prize
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Until November 11, 2012
