Mitch Cairns was today announced the winner of the 2012 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.
Cairns, 28, from Balmain, Sydney, was awarded the scholarship for his body of work highlighted by One half of a woman’s waistline repeated, 2012 and Poor Mum, 2012.
Ninety five entries were received from around Australia and eleven were selected as finalists: Clara Adolphs, Kate Barker, Emma Beer, Mitch Cairns, Samuel Condon, Jesse Dayan, James Drinkwater, Katherine Edney, Michael Hazell, Timothy Phillips and Tom Polo. The finalists’ work is featured on the Brett Whiteley Studio website, and a small selection is on display at the Studio until 25 November (except 24 September – 12 October).
This year’s judges were artist Del Kathryn Barton and the Gallery’s head of Australian art, Wayne Tunnicliffe. Commenting on the work of Mitch Cairns, Del Kathryn Barton said “Mitch’s curious, lyrical, figurative works are not only compelling visually, they reveal developed skill-sets vital to the mad adventure of making paintings! The sensitivity of surface, composition and of paint within these works reflect a disciplined and conceptually passionate practice”.
The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship is open to Australian artists aged between 20 and 30 years. Mitch Cairns has won $25, 000 and a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which is administered by the Art Gallery of NSW.
Brett Whiteley Studio
Until November 25 (except 24 September – 12 October)
Sydney
Left: Mitch Cairns, Poor mum, 2012. Right: Mitch Cairns, One half of a woman’s waistline, repeated 2012
