News

Mariam Arcilla's feature on Vipoo Srivilasa is in the current issue of Vault Magazine.  Arcilla says 'Talking to Srivilasa is like witnessing renewable energy.  The practicing Buddhist emits a childlike wonder, a stentorian laugh and a yen for learning ("So many things I still want to do: get a mentor, learn how to make pasta, combine ceramics with aromatherapy, pursue Thai dancing)...

Vipoo's next exhibition at the gallery is in early 2017 and will revisit an earlier series S & M Mermaids.

Congratulations to Vipoo Srivilasa who is a finalist in the 2016 Basil Sellers Art Prize.  

The prize defines sport in the broadest possible sense. An acquisitive prize of $100,000 will be awarded to a single, outstanding artwork, displayed in an exhibition of shortlisted finalists at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne in July 2016.

This prize is supported by Basil Sellers in order to encourage contemporary artists to develop their practice, to engage with the many themes within sport past and present, and to contribute to critical reflection on all forms of sport and sporting culture in Australia.

View available works by Vipoo Srivilasa HERE.

Julian Meagher has been selected as a finalist for the Shirley Hannan Bega Portrait Prize at the Bega Valley Regional Gallery. The prize is a $50,000 non-acquisitive award for realistic portraiture. The winner will be announced by the judge Dr. Christopher Chapman, Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, Friday 17 June.

View Julian’s available works here.

Congratulations to Dean Brown who is a finalist in the 2016 Archibald Prize for his portrait of the artist McLean Edwards.

McLean Edwards is an artist known for his bold use of colour in theatrical, darkly humorous figurative paintings. He is a five-time Archibald finalist.

‘I’ve been a great admirer of McLean Edwards’ work from the first moment I saw it. I was instantly captivated by the themes and narratives that seemed to exist in his visual world. I feel his work is truly individual,’ says Dean Brown.

‘McLean has been a friend and mentor to me for a number of years and I have wanted to paint his portrait for some time. He can be incredibly animated and theatrical, with an intense gaze, and I felt that would make for a dramatically expressive portrait if I could capture it.

‘I painted the portrait from the vantage point of his studio mezzanine. I turned all the lights off and spot lit him as if he were an actor on stage. The number 44 in the bottom right-hand corner is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the way he signs his work, not with his signature but his age when he painted it. I have appropriated his concept as a sign of respect.’

The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.

READ MORE HERE

IMAGE

'McLean Edwards' 2016

oil on board

93 x 73 cm

John Aslanidis has been curated into War – A Playground Perspective. This exhibition is presented within the historic Newington Armory exploring the human propensity for violent conflict and war as seen from the perspective of 28 leading Australian artists. Understandings of war and the human impulse for conflict are at the core of the exhibition curated by UNSW Art & Design lecturer Allan Giddy and graduate Nick Vickers. This exhibition is an opportunity for artists to examine aspects of human nature that are deeply embedded in communal psyche – territorialism and conflict.

The exhibition is current 14 May – 14 August.

For more details, click here.

The IN/OUT design blog features an article on Marisa Purcell’s ‘Screen’, an exhibition of new paintings. Katrina Arent writes, ‘Abstract art is deeply engaged with science and the natural universe and yet not always in specific ways that are readily apparent. Discovering ways to articulate these often complex ideas provides the central motivation for artist Marisa Purcell…  Intangible concepts about the nature of reality, coupled with the open-ended process of making an artwork, gives rise to paintings that provoke thought and engage the senses.’ Read the full article here. 

The exhibition is current until 11 June, 2016. For a copy of the catalogue, please email [email protected] or view the exhibition online.

Congratulations to Stefan Dunlop who is a finalist in the Caloundra Regional Gallery's Sunshine Coast Art Prize. The prize is a national contemporary two-dimensional award with an acquisitive prize of $25,000 plus a studio residency at Montville Country Cabins. The winner will be announced on 1 September 2016. View Stefan’s available works here.

Belem Lett has been selected as a finalist in two awards – the Sunshine Coast Art Prize, which offers a major acquisitive prize of $25,000, plus an artist studio residency, and the Chippendale New World Art Prize, where the winner will receive a $10,000 residency grant at the Arte Studio Ginestrelle Retreat at Mount Subasio, Italy. The Chippendale New World Art Prize winner will be announced 2 June, and the Sunshine Coast Art Prize winner will be announced 1 September, 2016.

Congratulations to John Aslanidis who is the recipient of this years $20,000 International Studio & Curatorial Program Australia Council Residency in New York. The program supports the creative development of artists and curators, and promotes exchange through residencies and public programs. The ISCP is housed in a former factory in Brooklyn where, since 1994, over 1,200 artists and curators from 62 countries have undertaken residencies. For more information, click here. To view John’s available works, click here.

Congratulations to Belynda Henry who is a finalist in the 2016 Archibald Art Prize.

The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.

Henry painted Louise Olsen co-founded Dinosaur Designs in 1985. She is a creative director and designer at the company with her partner Stephen Ormandy and the daughter of artists John Olsen and Valerie Strong.

Henry says ‘I met Valerie over 25 years ago through a series of evening painting classes. Through Valerie, I was introduced to the work of John Olsen. Both have inspired me greatly as an artist. Watching from afar as Louise co-created Dinosaur Designs, I always felt a link to her even though I didn’t know her.'

READ MORE HERE

Louise Olsen, a beautiful summary
acrylic and pastel on polyester canvas
157 x 116 cm