The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) has announced the winners of the Martin Kantor Portrait Prize and The Fineman New Photography Award. Congratulations, Mia Mala McDonald and Liss Fenwick, respectively.
The Martin Kantor Portrait Prize, named in honour of the late portrait photographer and philanthropist Martin Kantor, is an exhibition and an award for a photographic artwork of a significant, living Australian distinguished in art, letters, science, sports or politics. Mia Mala McDonald was awarded the acquisitive first prize of $15,000 for their portrait of AFLW footballer Darcy Vescio.
Mia Mala McDonald, Darcy Vescio, 2018
Award judges Naomi Cass and Fiona Sweet said of the portrait: ‘High production values and staging of popular traditions of commercial portrait photography, but with a subtle and uncanny directorial mode, and framing which bestows character to the subject, reflecting a new generation of sporting and cultural and sporting achievement… Surrounded by gold and glitter here is a relaxed young woman comfortable in her body, humble even, looking away from the viewer. Here is someone so accomplished she is happy to strike a new pose for a new way of thinking about women in high-profile sport.’
Honourable mentions were given to Suzanne Phoenix’s portrait of Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers, a portrait of Yanni Florence and Louise Fairweather by Rudi Williams, and John Gollings’ Self Portrait.
For the second time, the BIFB presented The Fineman New Photography Award, focusing on photographic artists working throughout the Asia-Pacific region who deserve an international audience.
Six finalists were chosen by an international jury of leading curators and gallery directors; they included Pierfrancesco Celada (HKG), Michelle Chan (HKG), Aakriti Chandervanshi (IND), Liss Fenwick (AUS), JinQian Luo (CHN) and Moe Suzuki (JPN). Each finalist received an exhibition within the current Biennale Core Program and received support from BIFB curators to realise their exhibition. This year’s The Fineman New Photography Award, its $10,000 first prize, was awarded to Australian visual artist Liss Fenwick.
Liss Fenwick, Nuptial Flight, 2020
Of the winning series, judges Pippa Dickson, Bala Starr and Fiona Sweet said, ‘Her work expands, with great vividness, the value-judgements of terrain, land use and function. Fenwick’s series ‘Back Out’ rewrites the conventions of natural beauty and barrenness, with a framing that is empathetic as it is uncompromising… Strongly charged emotive images that look at the immediate surroundings beyond cliché images. A starkly beautiful, ineffable series which presents new readings on Australia rural area which is hardly known by the wider audience outside of the country… Fenwick’s images carry an uncanny sense that arises out of the stress points of the past and are manifest in beauty found in a hostile and bleak landscape.’
JinQian Luo received an honourable mention for their series ‘The Prosperity of the Sixdomestic Animals’ with judges stating, ‘On the surface a simple idea, expressed classically, has resulted in a compelling series of portraits that explores development in rural environments and what is lost and possibly gained through change. Each work subtly announcing not only the humility and dignity of those depicted but a sense of multiple interconnected communities, generations and landscapes. JinQian brings this to life through the tension of absurdity of the fake animals in the fields and their increasingly invisibility in growing urbanisation.’
This past weekend also heralds the end of an era as, after five years, Fiona Sweet concludes her role as Artistic Director and CEO. Sweet’s vibrant and dynamic style has brought a spotlight to the Biennale, bringing world-renowned artists to regional Victoria, offering opportunities for new and emerging artists, and increasing audiences and community participation. The creation of the National Centre For Photography, Australia’s only regional contemporary gallery dedicated to photography, will remain evident for many years into the future, showcasing Sweet’s passion and vision.
Art Almanac’s December 2021|January 2022 print issue features a ‘behind the scenes’ interview with Sweet. Purchase a copy today!
