The Don Macfarlane Prize is a new $50,000 award given annually to a senior Australian artist in recognition of their unwavering, agenda-setting arts practice, ongoing cultural contribution and leadership, and commitment to mentorship; the first initiative of the newly formed Macfarlane Fund, a new philanthropic fund established to honor the life of respected Melbourne businessman Donald (Don) Macfarlane (1939-2016) who, throughout his life, took immense pleasure in the arts.
“Throughout his later years, my father recognised there were significant gaps in the philanthropic and funding sector, especially for artists who may have had a long and enduring career but had missed out on grants and prizes along the way, primarily because many were designed around supporting emerging and young artists,” said Macfarlane Fund co-founder, Melissa Macfarlane.
Melissa Macfarlane with Pat Brassington. Photograph: Frank Moylan
“This is the prize that most represents his ethos – it’s for artists who have taken risks, made breakthroughs and inspired other artists, and also maintained a commitment to mentoring others. He would be especially thrilled to know we have established the MacFarlane Fund in his name, to support and help artists of this caliber, and at a senior level.”
Pat Brassington. Photograph: Frank Moylan
The Prize was awarded to leading Australian photo-media artist Pat Brassington in recognition of her pioneering career, which spans four-decades, at the forefront of photography in Australia.
In awarding the prize, the Advisory Committee noted Brassington’s genre-defining contribution to the field of visual arts, her breathtaking conceptual work, and her commitment to the sector as a gallery administrator and mentor to many artists. The Committee also noted the continuing vitality, daring and relevance of Brassington’s current work, which they felt merited wider public attention.
Brassington is one of Australia’s most significant and influential artists, known for her interests in surrealism, feminism and psychoanalysis, and for creating ambiguous photomontages that play on narratives of sexuality, memory and identity. “I aim to pitch my images just off the verge of normality, into those dense patches where commonplace goes awry,” says the artist.
