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The City of Albany Art Prize enters its 8th year and continues to play an important role in the cultural and economic development of the Great Southern region.
From a pool of 400 entries, 30 finalists were chosen and from this selection it was Melbourne-based artist Richard Lewer who was awarded the main $25,000 acquisitive prize for his painting Untitled (2014). The prize offers Lewer a four-week residency in Albany and his winning work will be added to the city’s already sizeable Art Collection.
Lewer’s painting stood out as a work which was both timeless and completely of its time. The seemingly simple composition of a shark hanging against a turbulent ocean belies a complex issue, personally felt and universally debated. The sacrificial shark is both a victim and predator, and Lewer has painted it like an upturned obelisk, an inverted monument – totemic, but a dubious trophy. The gritty and grim scene is reflected in texture and palette, and Richard Lewer’s virtuosity in the handling of oil paint upon a steel surface give the work it’s charge, creating a dark but instantly iconic painting.
Following a spate of fatal shark attacks in Western Australia early last year, the State Government implemented a shark culling program. The local community’s response spurred Lewer to create this winning work.
Lewer said, “Last year the Western Australian government implemented a shark culling program off the swimming beaches of Perth and the South West coastline following the deaths of seven people. Being a surfer, I was spooked by the fatal attacks but like many locals, was also concerned about the efficiency of the governments fear-driven policy and the brutality of the baited drum lines used to capture sharks.
My work explores extremes and conflict; the shark culling program attracted local, national and international attention, and public demonstrations were held around the country. As a social realist I joined the 6000-strong protest at Cottesloe Beach to document the fervent debate in my local community.”
The $2,500 Commendation prize was awarded to Jurek Wybraniec for his compelling work, Gone (Scene 1) (2015). The judges also made special mention of the following artists for their high quality of the work and the deftness of the painting technique and rigour of their ideas: Anh Do (NSW) for his work Man 2 (2015); Kittey Malarvie (WA) for her work Milk Water (2014); and Christopher Hopewell (WA) for his work Inside Out (2015).
2015 Albany Art Prize
Carol Petterson Hall, Albany Town Hall
Until 11 October, 2015
Western Australia
Richard Lewer, Untitled, 2014, oil on epoxy coated steel, 100 x 100cm
Jurek Wybraniec, Gone (Scene 1), 2015, mixed media
Anh Do, Man 2, 2015, oil on linen, 150 x 120cm
Kittey Malarvie, Milk Water, 2014, ochre on canvas, 100 x 140cm
Christopher Hopewell, Inside Out, 2015, acrylic and epoxy resin on canvas, 150 x 150cm
