Congratulations to Anita Johnson, winner of the 2023 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Australia’s pre-eminent prize for small sculpture and the first national acquisitive prize for an original sculpture of up to 80cm, presented by Woollahra Council. Johnson has been awarded the $25,000 award, for her work Tenderness, which will be acquired for the Council’s permanent public collection joining previous winners Bruce Reynolds, Tim Silver, Robert Owen, Yvonne Kendall, Rhonda Sharpe, and Mikala Dwyer.

Anita Johnson, Tenderness – The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Acquisitive Award 2023
Tenderness is made from salvaged cricket ball, moulded and dyed leather, linen thread and possum fur. When Johnson found the ball in a state of ruin, she was drawn to the vulnerability of its wounded form. By taking a cast of her breast and using it to wet mould leather, an “object-prosthetic” was produced. Possum fur – a sculptural nod to Meret Oppenheim and the possum skin blankets of her own youth – enhances the sense of comfort further still. The cricket ball, repaired in this manner, reveals compassion and tenderness in the wake of violence.
Johnson commented on the award: “My heartfelt deep gratitude for this support. This award will give me some much needed financial breathing space to run with ideas for new artworks. But more than that this recognition touches my heart in profound ways that has surprised me and brought me to joyful tears. There has been
much dancing and whooping around my house with my son.”
Judge Alex Seton commented: “Anita Johnson’s winning artwork Tenderness is a beautifully observed and crafted work that surprises and delights with its empathy and humour. It somehow seems to sum up what it is to be Australian in its sweet pathos and tragedy. All this achieved within a confident intimate small scale in the best manner of Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize winners.”
Judge Blak Douglas adds: “The winning work, Anita Johnson’s Tenderness, contains so many metaphors – it’s a quirky sculpture which speaks to national pride. She has cleverly created commentary around gender, and the imbalance of respect for women’s cricket as opposed to the patriarchy that rules men’s cricket.”
Robert Michael Young received the Special Commendation Award of $2,000 for Cultural Cradle, while Jamie North was selected for the Mayor’s Award, winning $1,000 for Remainder No.52. This year, the judges have also awarded Nathan Beard a special Judges’ Award, winning $2,000 for Corsage.
View the winning works online or or explore the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize 2023 finalist exhibition in person at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, Sydney, on view until 5 November.