Sydney-based stencil artist Luke Cornish has won the $20,000 acquisitive 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize for No Rest (The Vandalism of Deir al-Balah) – a response to the desecration by the Israeli Defence Force of the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Deir al-Balah, Gaza.
Luke Cornish, No Rest (The Vandalism of Deir al-Balah), aerosol on board, 100 × 135cm / Winner of the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize / Courtesy the artist and Gallipoli Art Prize
To give the appearance of Commonwealth war grave headstones, Cornish – also known as ELK – painted on board and then rendered the work with acrylic cement to give the appearance of sandstone; black dripping paint at the edges connotes graffiti culture and is linked with vandalism.
“The destruction of a war cemetery is more than damage to stone and soil; it is a violation of memory,” Cornish said. “Graves are sacred not because of politics, but because they hold the human cost of conflict. When the resting place of the dead is disturbed, it unsettles the living as well. It tells us that even in death there is no refuge from violence.”
Elizabeth Fortescue, one of the 2026 judges, called the work “an impressive but stark reminder of the sacrifices made by human beings across the span of historical time, and the need for successive generations to honour their memories in perpetuity.” It marks the artist’s second win of the prize, having won in 2024 for The Pity of War – a contemporary reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s La Pieta.
Highly Commended by this year’s judges – Jane Watters, Elizabeth Fortescue, and John Robertson – were Jon Potter, 1917 – a tribute to Australian painter Evelyn Chapman, the first woman to visit and paint First World War scenes – and Peter Whitehead, Perennial Vigilance – mixed media plein air drawings on paper depicting historic fortifications at Georges Head, Sydney.
Jon Potter, 1917, oil on board, 20 × 30cm / Highly Commended in the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize / Courtesy the artist and Gallipoli Art Prize
Peter Whitehead, Perennial Vigilance, mixed media plein air drawings on paper (40 × 40cm × 6), 143 × 103cm (framed) / Highly Commended in the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize / Courtesy the artist and Gallipoli Art Prize
A privately funded prize sponsored by the Gallipoli Memorial Club, Sydney, artists are invited to respond openly to the broad themes of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage, comradeship, community, peace, and freedom – as expressed in the club’s creed.
The 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize will be on show at 6–8 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney until 10 May 2026.
