Posted by Jacqui Bonner | 21/03/2024
Media Release 21 March 2024.For immediate release.
‘Witness‘ by Kate Stevens.
One of the 36 finalist works in the 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize.
Click image to read artist statement.
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2024 Gallipoli Art Prize Finalists Announced.
Winner to be announced Wednesday 17 April 2024 in Sydney.
Thirty-six finalists have been announced for the 19th annual Gallipoli Art Prize. The winner of the art prize will be announced on Wednesday 17th April in Sydney, in the lead up to Anzac Day. The works will be on exhibition at 6-8 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney from 18 April to 12 May, 2024. [ View 2024 finalist works here + artist statements ] The Gallipoli Art Prize is a privately funded prize, auspiced by the Gallipoli Memorial Club in Sydney. It invites artists to respond openly to the broad themes of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage, comradeship, community, peace and freedom as expressed in the Gallipoli Memorial Club’s creed. “We believe that within the community there exists an obligation for all to preserve the special qualities of loyalty, respect, love of country, courage and comradeship which were personified by the heroes of the Gallipoli Campaign and bequeathed to all humanity as a foundation for perpetual peace and universal freedom”. The Gallipoli Memorial Club Creed. Among the thirty-six finalist works this year is Kate Steven’s powerful work ‘Witness’, a portrait of Dusty Miller, whistleblower and former SAS medic who served with Australia’s Special Forces in Afghanistan and who gave testimony to the IGADF Afghanistan war crimes inquiry. “Dusty and the other veterans who spoke at great personal cost about what they witnessed have done the nation a great service; showing courage and loyalty in upholding the qualities which Australians could and should aspire to,” Stevens said in her accompanying artist statement. While many works reference WWI, others reference more contemporary conflicts and universal themes such as Lori Pensini’s ‘Weeping Woman’ that the artist describes as “an emotional response to the discord in the world right now” and Luke Cornish’s ‘The Pity of War’ referencing the “universality of maternal grief”. Many of the finalists have taken inspiration for their works from relatives who have served in the armed forces. Artist Nicole Martin’s work ‘Malaria, Search for Their Story’ took her on an emotional journey following her grandfather’s story into a little known chapter of Australian history where WWII soldiers were subjected to malaria experiments. Martin says in her artist statement “In my pursuit, I discovered a heartfelt narrative interwoven with a profound love for country and fellow comrades, their story masked by missing and redacted documents.” A number of mixed media works feature in this year’s group of finalists including Peter McCarthy’s ‘Building Material’ consisting of horizontal rolls covered in material evoking military service ribbons and John Butler’s work ‘V529 Timmy’s Blanket’ featuring poppies painted on his father’s RAAF service blanket. Animals also feature in finalist works including camels in ‘Worthy Allies’ by Geoff Harvey (two time winner of the Gallipoli Art Prize in 2012 and 2021), Richard Crossland’s ‘Slouch Hat and Swallows’, a horse in ‘Loyalty Knows No Bounds’ by Jenii Mac, and a tracker dog in the arms of a soldier being winched from a helicopter into the jungle in ‘Unbreakable Bonds’ by Penelope Oates. “I am always impressed by the diversity of the works and how individual artists choose to respond to the special qualities within the Gallipoli Memorial Club’s Creed. These art works inspire us to reflect deeply on perpetual peace and universal freedom, which is much needed in the world today,” said John Robertson, President of the Gallipoli Memorial Club and one of the judges of the prize. Judging for this year’s Prize is conducted by Jane Watters, Barry Pearce, Elizabeth Fortescue and John Robertson. Previous winners of the Gallipoli Art Prize include prominent artists Euan Macleod (2009), Idris Murphy (2014) and Jiawei Shen (2016). Renowned artist Andrew Tomkins won the 2023 Gallipoli Art Prize with ‘Ray’s Room’ a poignant work inspired by his uncle who served in Bougainville in 1945. The winner of the 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize will be announced on Wednesday 17 April, 2024 in Sydney. The works will be on exhibition at 6-8 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney from 18 April to 24 May, 2024. View all 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize finalist works at www.gallipoliartprize.org.au. Winner announcement: Wednesday 17 April, 2024 in Sydney. Public Exhibition: 18 April – 24 May, 2024.6-8 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney. 2024 Gallipoli Art Prize Finalists Andrew Littlejohn Caught in the Midst Andrew Tomkins Chowne’s Rest Barry Clarke The Right Stuff Edgar Gambin A Diggers Diary Elizabeth McCarthy The Capture of AE2 Geoff Harvey Worthy Allies Geoffrey Jones Splendour Rock Gulcan Gunes Ataturk’s Message Hayley Hamilton A Hostile Shore Jenii Mac Loyalty Knows No Bounds Joan Lewis The Empty Chair John Butler V529 – Timmy’s Blanket John Martin Tiwi Heroes and the Butterfly Effect John Richardson Gallipoli – Past and Present John Skillington The Red Cross Jue Min Zhang My Son Goes to War Julian Thompson The Deployment Julianne Ross Allcorn The Letterpress Tray Kate Stevens Witness Kim Baldwin He Ain’t Heavy Lori Pensini Weeping Woman Louis Pratt The Wounded Soldier Luke Cornish The Pity of War Margaret Hadfield Comradeship and Grief Nicole Martin Malaria, Search for Their Story Penelope Oates Unbreakable Bonds Peter McCarthy Building Material Peter Whitehead Darkness Phillip Brooks Credence Richard Crossland Slouch Hat and Swallows Robert Hammill Last Mission Ross Townsend Reflecting in Silence Sarah Anthony The Jigsaw Sue Jarvis Servicing an RAAF Hudson Bomber, NT, 1943 Sylvie Carter Last Mission – Honouring F/O James Joseph Battle and F/O Alfred Campbell Briant Tülin Ciddi To Live and Let Live View all 2024 finalists here Gallipoli Art Prize Previous Winners 2006 Margaret Hadfield Ataturk’s legacy 2007 Lianne Gough Glorus fallen 2008 Tom Carment Max Carment, War Veteran (the last Portrait) 2009 Euan Macleod Smoke/Pink landscape/Shovel 2010 Raymond Arnold The dead march here today 2011 Hadyn Wilson Sacrifice 2012 Geoff Harvey Trench interment 2013 Peter Wegner Dog with Gas Mask 2014 Idris Murphy Gallipoli Evening 2013 2015 Sally Robinson Boy Soldiers 2016 Jiawei Shen Yeah, Mate! 2017 Amanda Penrose Hart The Sphinx, Perpetual Peace 2018 Steve Lopes Exposed Wood, Mont St Quentin 2019 Martin King War Pigeon Diaries 2020 Alison Mackay Breathe 2021 Geoff Harvey Forgotten Heroes 2022 Deidre Bean Along the ride to Damascus 2023 Andrew Tomkins Ray’s Room View previous winners here (end) |
| Media Contact Clare McGregor M: 0418 192 524 clarempublicity@gmail.com Winner Announcement: (NB: Not open to the public, media welcome) 1pm, Wednesday 17 April, 2024. 6-8 Atherden Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Please contact Clare McGregor M: 0418 192 524 clarempublicity@gmail.com if you would like to attend. Media Assets Click HERE for images of all finalist works Click images on website HERE for individual artist statements |