Margaret Loy Pula has won the 2017 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize for her work Anatye (bush potato) (2016); part of an ongoing series where the artist paints traditional stories from her father’s dreaming, in particular bush potatoes, an important food source of the Anmatyerre people of Central Australia.
This year’s judges – Mark Feary, Artistic Director Gertrude Street Gallery, Dr David Hansen, Associate Professor, Centre for Art History and Art Theory, ANU School of Art and Design, Hannah Matthews, Senior Curator, Monash University Museum of Art and representatives from Bendigo Art Gallery and the Guy family – were unanimous in their decision, commending the vivid impact of the painting, despite its reductionist palette. With its patent connection to country, the quietly captivating work could be interpreted through the Western tradition of minimalist abstraction.
Margaret Loy Pula, 2016, acrylic on linen. Courtesy the artist and Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane
Born in 1957, Margaret Loy Pula was the first Indigenous artist to win the prestigious Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize in South Australia. Other prizes include the Paddington Art Prize (Sydney), the Muswellbrook Art Prize (2013), Redland Art Prize (2014) and the Grace Cossington Smith Art Prize (2014). In the last 18 months Pula has held major exhibitions in New York and exhibited at art fairs in Singapore, Miami, New York and Mexico City.
Margaret Loy Pula. Courtesy Mitchell Fine Art, Brisbane
The 2017 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize received 291 entries, including the 37 finalists, which demonstrates the ongoing dynamism and resonance of the media of painting. Finalists include; Matt Arbuckle, Steven Asquith, Andrew Browne, Kirsty Budge, Robyn Burgess, Deidre But-Husaim, Mitch Cairns, Jon Campbell, Sadie Chandler, Marcel Cousins, Jesse Dayan, Prudence Flint, Martin George, Helga Groves, Stephen Hayley, Pei Pei He, Euan Heng, Rachael Hooper, Kez Hughes, Jennifer Joseph, Guundie Kuchling, Michael Lindeman, Christian Lock, Dane Lovett, Fiona Lowry, Karla Marchesi, Robert Owen, Louise Paramor, Anthony Pelchen, Bundit Puangthong, Jordan Richardson, Kate Shaw, Robyn Sweaney, Kate Tucker, David Wadelton and Stephanie Wilson.
The biennial Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize is designed to attract some of Australia’s finest contemporary artists, awarding a generous acquisitive cash prize of $50,000. The prestigious prize is accompanied by an exhibition featuring the work of shortlisted artists at Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria. Previous winners include Stieg Persson (2003), Dale Frank (2005), Stephen Bush (2007), Jan Nelson (2009), Tim Johnson (2011), Chris Bond (2012) and Guan Wei (2015).
The Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize was established by Mr Allen Guy C.B.E. (1917-2007) to honour his brother Arthur Guy (1914-1945) whose life was tragically cut short whilst in service in New Guinea.
Bendigo Art Gallery
Until 17 September, 2017
Victoria
