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Chosen from an exceptional field of 17 Western Australian finalists, Bruce Slatter’s work titled Expedition Recollection was awarded the 2014 Bankwest Art Prize at the opening of the exhibition in Perth on Tuesday evening.
This year’s judges – Bankwest Art Curator, Sandra Murray; Senior Curator, Australian Art, Art Gallery of NSW, Deborah Edwards; and senior WA sculptor, Lou Lambert – described the winning work as “a sophisticated and wry cabinet of curiosities featuring miniaturised worlds of imagination and aspiration, with a quirky play on scale and astute juxtaposition of elements”.
According to Slatter: “Expedition Recollection is a sculptural visualisation of real and imagined ambitious adventures. This work brings together the language of museum and domestic cabinets with vivid and impossible crafted narrative that reflects a playful frivolity as well as the sometimes anxious and momentous spectacle of human experience.
“In contrast, I consider the pathos and minutiae of daily endeavour using changes in scale, space, landscapes, pace and metaphor within the sculpted scenarios. While focusing on the chaotic, disjointed and singular predicaments, I hope to celebrate the interconnected and unexpected commonalities possible in contemporary existence.”
Slatter was awarded the accolade and the $30,000 Art Prize, after his entry was deemed the most impressive by the judging panel, which had the difficult task of assessing the works contributed by the talented pool of Western Australian sculptors.
This is the first time the Bankwest Art Prize called for three-dimensional works, inspiring entries from established artists such as Tim Burns, Mark Grey-Smith, Theo Koning and Bela Kotai, as well as a fresh wave of talent including Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Paul Kaptein and Joshua Webb.
As part of the Bankwest Art Collection, Expedition Recollection will join one of the state’s most significant corporate collections, holding work by 450 Western Australian artists.
Since its inception in 2001, the Bankwest Art Prize has gained recognition as one of the most prestigious and generous awards for artists in the state – it’s the only prize of this magnitude exclusively for Western Australian artists.
Bankwest Art Gallery
Until 6 March, 2015
Perth
