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Announcement | 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize Winners

by bacblogarts

For the first time, all prizes in the Blacktown City Art Prize have been won by women or predominantly female collectives.

“The Blacktown City Art Prize has once again shown itself to be the premier art prize in Western Sydney,” the Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali said.

“Blacktown City Council is proud of its long history and we congratulate this year’s winners.”

Jane Giblin from Lutana in Tasmania won the $15,000 major prize for her watercolour and mixed-media painting, Lilu Stands to Izzie.

The judges were instantly drawn to “the skill, boldness of subject and emotional power” of the winning work.

Blacktown artist Melissa Chapman’s Irrational Logic was awarded the Local Artist Prize and was Highly Commended in the main category.

Melissa’s “compelling” 3D work “demonstrates artistic skill and flair”, said the judges.

The Aboriginal Artist Prize was awarded to the Bankstown Koori Elders Group for their ceramic work, Murris and Kooris.

“The material and composition of the piece was unexpected,” said the judges.

“Each element was uniquely resolved and worked together to form a compelling visual whole.”

Amala Groom’s Read Before Consuming, The Sane Ones by Nerissa Lea and Rosalind Stanley’s My World received the remaining Highly Commended awards.

The judging panel, comprised of internationally acclaimed artist Khadim Ali; leading Sydney gallerist and arts advocate Janet Clayton; and Indigenous writer, curator and academic Stephen Gilchrist said they faced a difficult task when selecting winning works from the pool of 400 entries.

“We were impressed with the overall standard of the entries which included nationally-recognised artists alongside emerging local artists,” the judging panel said in a statement.

“The diversity of work across cultural practice, art forms, genre, scale and intent required us to look beyond the form and materiality to the intrinsic qualities of each work.

“We were ultimately drawn to works of art that offered singular artistic statements and revelled in the exploration of their chosen media.”

This year, for the first time, everyone will be able to view all the artworks in the exhibition on Instagram (@blacktowncityartprize), and cast a vote for their favourite work.

The 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize will be exhibited from Saturday, 3 December to Saturday, 28 January 2017 at Blacktown Arts Centre. Admission is free.

The 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize is proudly supported by Ford Land Company, Westlink M7, Blacktown Workers Club, Atura Hotel Blacktown and Blacktown City Council’s Sustainable Living program.

Exhibition | 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize
3 December 2016 – 28 January 2017
Blacktown Arts Centre

Artworks
Winner 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize
Jane Giblin, Lilu Stands to Izzie, 2015

Winner Aboriginal Artist Prize
Bankstown Koori Elders Group, Murris and Kooris, 2016

Winner Local Artist Prize and Highly Commended
Melissa Chapman, Irrational Logic, 2015

Highly Commended
Nerissa Lea, The Sane Ones, 2016

Highly Commended
Rosalind Stanley, My World, 2016

Highly Commended
Amala Groom, Read Before Consuming, 2016

Photos
Jennifer Leahy

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2016 Blacktown City Art Prize

by bacblogarts

Now in its 21st year, the Blacktown City Art Prize is one of the most respected art prizes in Western Sydney, with cash prizes of $20,000 and acquisitive awards. Artists are invited to submit entries for drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics and mixed media.

In addition to the $15,000 main prize, three supporting prizes will be awarded:

  • Aboriginal Artist Prize ($2,000)
  • Local Artist Prize ($2,000)
  • People’s Choice Prize ($1,000).

“The Blacktown City Art Prize has been a key cultural event for over 20 years,” said Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali. “It showcases the breadth of artistic talent coming from the Blacktown region and beyond, and demonstrates Council’s commitment to art and culture playing a major role in the life of our city.”

This annual exhibition has built a reputation for showcasing the creativity of the region and elevating the profiles and careers of the finalists.

Francois Breuillaud-Limondin was awarded the main prize last year for his sculptural work, Prisms. Previous winners include highly successful Western Sydney-based artists Catherine O’Donnell and Abdullah M. I. Syed, who have gone on to exhibit with Blacktown Arts Centre and other prestigious venues since their involvement with the Prize.

“The Blacktown City Art Prize brings tremendous awareness to the vast arts community in Western Sydney. I am proud to be part of such an exciting event,” said Hiren Patel from Kellyville Ridge, winner of the 2014 Local Artist Prize and 2015 finalist.

The Blacktown City Art Prize also celebrates the creativity of local young people through an environmentally-themed Children and Young Artists Prize. This section is open to 5 – 15 year olds who live or go to school in the Blacktown Local Government Area.

Selected works will be exhibited at Blacktown Arts Centre from Saturday, 3 December 2015 – Saturday, 28 January 2016.

Entries for the 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize are now open. The fee is $25.00 per entry with a limit of two entries per artist. Photography, film, video and installation works will not be accepted.

How to enter:

Complete the Blacktown City Art Prize Online Entry Form by 5pm on Tuesday, 11 October 2016.

Image
Lucas Road at Night (outside my place), 2015, Alexandra Byrne, charcoal, graphite and pastel on Stonehenge paper
Winner of the 2015 Local Artist Prize

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https://vimeo.com/217118883
Art

Blacktown 2016 | This is how we make art

by bacblogarts

Watch a short compilation of highlights from our 2016 program. Accompanying tracks: Ursula Yovich singing her original songs, ‘Bring Them Home’ and ‘This Life is Mine’, was recorded live at Blacktown City Council’s NAIDOC Family Celebrations, 2 July 2016. This music was commissioned by Blacktown Arts Centre through the Memory project.

#ThisIsHowWeMakeArt

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Announcement | 2016 Creative Arts Fund

by bacblogarts

17 local artists and community organisations will receive funding assistance through the Blacktown City Council 2016 Creative Arts Fund.

The Creative Arts Fund is an initiative of Blacktown City Council which provides $40,000 worth of grants to encourage artistic endeavours in the region.

Grants of up to $3,000 have been awarded to support the following projects:

  1. Assefa Bekele, script development
  2. Association of Bhutanese in Australia, weaving workshops
  3. Australian-Cook Islands Community Council (NSW), drumming project
  4. Farzin Fardin, film project
  5. Hayley Williams, visual arts project
  6. Helmy El-Rab, visual arts project
  7. Jackson Mathew, music project
  8. Jan Cleveringa, visual arts project
  9. Life Without Barriers, mural project
  10. Michael Duchesne, music project
  11. Mahmmd Lelo, music project
  12. Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency, film project
  13. NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), multi-arts project
  14. ONELOVE Mentoring, youth choir project
  15. Police Citizens Youth Club NSW (Blacktown), youth choir project
  16. Rap 4 Change, hip-hop workshops
  17. Zahid Ahmad and Fozia Zahid, visual arts project

Image
2016 Creative Arts Fund recipients with Councillor Stephen Bali and Councillor Leo Kelly.

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Art

Do you have a question about the Blacktown City Art Prize?

by bacblogarts

Where do I bring my work and when?

All entries must be made online at www.blacktownarts.com.au. You can enter 1 or 2 artworks. The entry fee is $25 per artwork. The Judges will then select the Finalists. The Finalists must bring in their work on Friday, 11 November 2016 or Saturday, 12 November 2016 between  10am – 5pm  to Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown. Enter Arts Centre car park via Campbell Street, Blacktown.

What is the maximum size my work can be?

For 2D works the maximum size including frame is 155cm (height) x 155cm (width).  For sculptures and ceramics, the maximum size is 200cm (high) x 150cm (wide) x 150cm (deep). It must weigh 40kg or less. Works MUST fall within these size and weight restrictions, no exceptions. 1cm out of this size restriction is not acceptable. 10gram over the weight restriction is not acceptable.

What are D-rings? And do I need them?

A “D-ring” is a small metal ring that is shaped like the letter D. D-rings are attached to frames, one on either side, so the work can be hung from these points. You do not need D-rings if your work has a synthetic cord on the back. Wire is not acceptable unless it is covered with plastic as it can damage other works. If your work is a stretched canvas on a timber frame, it can be hung from the frame.

d-ring

How should I frame my artwork?

It is up to you how you would like to frame your work. Judges of previous Blacktown City Art Prize exhibitions have commented that simple frames which enhance the qualities of the artwork are better than overly decorative frames.

How will I be notified if my work has been selected for the Blacktown City Art Prize?

The list of selected Finalists works will appear at www.blacktownarts.com.au  from Monday 31 October. Works not included on the list are to be understood as not selected. Finalists will also receive a list of selected works via email on the Monday 31 October.

If I am selected as a Finalist, when and how do I deliver and collect my artwork?

All selected works must be delivered on Friday, 11 November 2016 or Saturday, 12 November 2016, and collected after the exhibition on Friday, 3 February 2017 or Saturday, 4 February 2017 between 10am – 5pm from Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown. Enter the Arts Centre car park via Campbell Street, Blacktown.

Will there be someone there to help me unload the artwork from my car?

Yes, just approach one of the Arts Centre staff and ask for assistance.

Can I assemble my own sculpture?

We ask that all sculpture requiring assembly be accompanied by photographs. Multi-part sculptures may be assembled by artists themselves. However, photographs must be provided to the Arts Centre.

Can I install my own work?

We employ professional art handlers who install all works on behalf of the artists. The artists may be asked to assist with installation, but this is unusual.

Can I get someone to deliver the work on my behalf?

Yes, however they must have written permission to do so, photo ID and all the necessary details of the artworks being delivered.

If I post my work will it be posted back to me?

Yes. However all costs, packaging, transport and/or postage arrangements must be made by the artist.

Do I need to provide a plinth?

No. Blacktown Arts Centre has a collection of plinths that will be used for the exhibition.

My work needs power, can this be arranged?

Yes, however power points are limited and this preference will affect where your work is installed.

My work is free-standing but hangs from the ceiling, is this acceptable?

No. Works cannot be suspended or hung from the Arts Centre roof. If it requires suspension it is not deemed to be free-standing.

My painting is a stretched canvas, does it need to be framed?

No. However the artwork must be professionally presented and ready to be hung.

Can I enter a mixed media artwork?

Yes. Mixed media artworks will only be accepted if the work is primarily a 2D work and can be hung on a wall. Sculptures can be mixed media but must adhere to the size and weight restrictions.

The artwork details have changed since submitting my Entry Form. Can I make changes when I deliver the work?

No. All Details must be confirmed when submitting the Entry Form by 5pm on Tuesday, 11 October 2016.

Do you need a statement and CV from me?

No.  More information regarding artworks and artists may be requested by potential buyers and if artwork is acquired by Blacktown City Council or Ford Land Company.

What are the prizes?

The main prize is $15,000. Other prizes are the Aboriginal Artist Prize $2,000, Local Artist Prize $2,000 and the People’s Choice Prize $1,000.

What kind of artworks can I enter?

Works accepted are 2D works that include drawings, prints, paintings, textiles and mixed media. 3D works that include ceramics and sculpture.  Artworks not accepted include photography, film, video, sound, performance and installation artworks.

How do I enter the 2016 Blacktown City Art Prize?

Entry into Blacktown City Art prize 2016 is by online application only at www.blacktownarts.com.au/bcap16.

Important information:

  • Images accepted are JPG, jpeg or jpg only. Maximum file size 2MB. To resize your images, go to www.picresize.com.
  • Files should be named firstname-secondname-title.jpg, eg. john-smith-landscape2.jpg.
  • Once you have submitted your entry you will receive a confirmation email.

If you have trouble completing your application, please call Blacktown Arts Centre on 9839 6558.

 

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ARTISTS SECTION (5-15yrs)

Is there an entry fee?

No, it is free to enter.

Where can I get an entry form?

What is the theme and is it compulsory?

This year the theme is Hidden Wildlife.  The theme is not compulsory.

What is the maximum size the work can be?

A3 size for 2D works (not including frame) or 30 x 30 x 30cm for sculptures. No exceptions.

Does the child entrant have to be a Blacktown resident? 

Entrants must reside in Blacktown or attend school with the Blacktown City Local Government Area.

How many works can I enter?

One only.

When do I submit the entry form and artwork?

You submit these together on Friday, 11 November or Saturday, 12 November between 10am – 5pm.

How do I collect the work when the exhibition is over?

Come to Blacktown Arts Centre at 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown on either Friday, 3 February 2017 or Saturday, 4 February 2017 between 10am – 5pm.

Key Dates

Closing date for entry forms, including entry fees
5pm on Tuesday, 11 October 2016

List of selected artworks posted on website, Facebook and email
Monday, 31 October 2016

Delivery date for selected artworks
10am – 5pm
Friday, 11 November or Saturday, 12 November 2016

Official Opening Night
6– 8pm
Friday, 2 December 2016

Exhibition dates
Saturday, 3 December 2016 –
Saturday, 28 January 2017
Open Tuesday – Saturday
10am – 5pm

Collection of selected entries
10am – 5pm
Friday, 3 February 2016 or
Saturday, 4 February 2017

Image

Audrey Newton

Ro Murray delivers her entry in the 2015 Blacktown City Art Prize to Paul Howard, Visual Arts Curator.

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5 white porcelain casts of a human leg hanging along the side of a while wall. The shadow of the legs are cast on the flat wall behind.
News

‘Force Field of Complex Journeys’ in New York

by bacblogarts

Mehwish Iqbal spent her first 11 years in Pakistan before migrating to Australia and settling in western Sydney. Over time, her artworks have formed a narrative that advocates for social justice issues, which she states aim to “highlight the voices of minorities and marginalized communities”.[1]

For the 2016 exhibition Diaspora-Making Machines at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, Mehwish was commissioned by Blacktown Arts to create the artwork Force Field of Complex Journeys (2016). This work has recently travelled to New York for Mehwish’s solo exhibition Mind, Body, State at HG Contemporary. Prior to the current exhibition in New York, the artwork was also featured twice in 2017. First at her solo exhibition Flux at M. Contemporary in Sydney and then the Hong Kong Art Central.

Mehwish is an established multidisciplinary artist who has developed a diverse creative practice that spans painting, printmaking, textiles, ceramics, sculpture and installation. She uses these materials to explore her personal and the collective experience of exploitation by geopolitical power structures.

Her artwork Force Field of Complex Journeys (2016) is exemplary of her diverse technical skill, and is composed of a series of porcelain casts of the artist’s left leg. The legs are an almost precise copy of one another, and when exhibited in a straight row in diaspora-making machines (2016), they appear to be the product of mechanical ingenuity. The repetition of the single leg, with one foot stepping in front of the other, mirrors the steps taken by women and children displaced from their homelands, who were forced to leave and often journey by foot “due to war, conflict and exile.”[2]

Each fragile porcelain leg is etched with numerous textual and pictorial signs and symbols that reference the often perilous and devastating journeys endured by displaced women and children.[3] The selected stories engraved into the porcelain legs belong to a support group for refugee and migrant women in Mt Druitt, who shared their experiences with Mehwish through drawing workshops. [4]

Now the feet that once walked the ground and carry narratives from Pakistan and Australia touch down in the United States at HG Contemporary in New York.

At this turbulent political time on new terrain and a site of mass migration, these feet stride and their footsteps echo the same significant narratives when they were first exhibited.

 

Exhibition dates

7 March – 2 April 2019
HG Contemporary, New York 

[1] Iqbal, M., Mind, Body, State.
[2] Howard, P., Fluxus, M. Contemporary, 2017, Sydney, Australia.
[3] Howard, P., Fluxus, M. Contemporary, 2017, Sydney, Australia.
[4] Howard, P., Fluxus, M. Contemporary, 2017, Sydney, Australia.

By Nikita Holcombe, Marketing Assistant at Blacktown Arts

Connect with Mehwish Iqbal

Website www.mehwishiqbal.com

Instagram mehwish.iq

Photo credit
Mehwish Iqbal, Force Field of Complex Journeys (2016) Mind, Body, State, 2019. HG Contemporary.

Mehwish Iqbal, Force Field of Complex Journeys (2016) Mind, Body, State,2019. HG Contemporary.

Workshop and The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, photographed by Emily McTaggart.

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A lamp next to a red wall with a scroll and a takeaway lunch menu hanging.
News

STARTERS | An exchange of food and conversation

by beth sorensen
Saturday 13 April 2019, 3 pm – 6 pm | The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre

Blacktown Arts and Critical Path invite you to STARTERS, where you will join four respected artists for a unique exchange of food and conversation.

Artists Julie-Anne Long, Anna Kuroda, Taree Sansbury and Brian Fuata will lead conversations over a meal – a series of four starters shared as ‘mezze’.

Through the intimate communal exchange, the artists will share the things that influenced them early in their careers – the people, philosophies, connections, places and spaces that impacted their practices at the START.

Click to RSVP

About the artists:

Julie-Anne Long is an award winning independent dance artist based in Sydney. She works in a variety of dance contexts as dancer, choreographer, director, producer, mentor, dramaturg, curator and teacher. Julie-Anne has a significant solo practice, as well as a more communal, collaborative way of working with other like-minded artists, within the diversity of Australian contemporary performance. Since graduating from the Victorian College of Arts in the early 1980s she has performed and choreographed on a wide range of projects with companies such as Human Veins, One Extra, Theatre of Image, Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Bell Shakespeare Company, Open City and Dance Works. From 1991-1996 Julie-Anne was Associate Artistic Director of One Extra Company with Artistic Director Graeme Watson. She has worked in a variety of dance contexts as mentor, dramaturg, curator and producer including Acting Director of dance research organisation Critical Path (2006/2007) and Dance Curator at Campbelltown Arts Centre (2009/2010). Julie-Anne was awarded an Australia Council Dance Fellowship in 2007, which encompasses research, development and the realisation of a body of work entitled The Invisibility Project. This ongoing project focuses on issues surrounding the invisibility of middle-aged women, with particular emphasis on the performing/dancing body. Julie-Anne’s aim is to heighten the visibility of middle-aged women focusing on her performing-self within the everyday to celebrate the benefits of this invisibility and to challenge its negative implications and side effects. Julie-Anne has a PhD from University New South Wales and is currently a Senior Lecturer in Dance and Performance at Macquarie University. Further information about Julie-Anne Long can be found on her website.

Anna Kuroda is a dancer and choreographer from Japan based in Western Sydney. Her movement practice focuses on sensitivity to internal and external air flow around the body, sharpness, fragility and unique rhythm. She aspires to make work where, through focus and technical skill, the dancer’s body is, in a way, unseen; leaving cells and memories.
In 2016 she was one of 6 finalists for the Toyota Choreography Award, Japan. Kuroda is a founding member of Murasaki Penguin with sound/multimedia artist David Kirkpatrick since 2010. Further information about Anna Kuroda’s work can be found on her website.

Taree Sansbury is an emerging freelance artist and NAISDA Dance College graduate. Taree’s bloodlines connect to Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri nations. Taree has worked with some of Australia’s highly acclaimed independent makers such as Vicki Van Hout, Martin Del Amo and Victoria Hunt along with companies Force Majeure and Branch Nebula. More recently Taree performed in Thomas E.S. Kelly’s work [MIS]CONCEIVE in the Living Ritual Festival Toronto/ APAM 2018/ Supercell Dance Festival, SHIFTING > SHAPES at PACT and CO_EX_EN at Dance Massive 2019. As an emerging performance maker Taree premiered her first work, mi:wi at the Next Wave Festival 2018 and recently became Associate Artistic Director of new performing arts company Karul Projects. You can find Taree Sansbury on her Instagram.

Brian Fuata works in performance through live and mediated forms. He employs various modes of presentation within the framework of structured-improvisation. In Fuata’s works, the act of viewing is a reciprocating action between artist and audience and audience with each other. Fuata employs the ‘blank sheet’ as a recurring motif in his work, which transforms with different contexts into emails, paper, Word.Doc, google.doc, SMS text, concrete, film, and in the case of his 20-minute ghost performances, a white bedsheet. Major solo works include Placeholder, Enjoy Gallery, Christchurch (2016); A predictive/preparatory performance for a circuit of email and the living, (email and live performance performed at Printed Matter, for Performa Biennial, New York (2015); Untitled (ghost machinery refit/letting go of the sheet), Chisenhale Gallery, London (2015); and nationally: Close to the knives (one to five) email performances, for Endless Circulation, Tarrawarra Biennale, Tarrawarra (2016); FIFO Ghost, Liquid Architecture at the National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne (2015); Apparitional Charlatan…for 24FramesPerSecond, Carriageworks (2016); Privilege (performance), Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney (2015) and Points of Departure: one to three, email performance, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne (2014). More information about Brian Fuata can be found on his website.

He has been one half of Wrong Solo, a performance collaboration with artist Agatha Gothe-Snape since 2009. Wrong Solo is the collaboration between visual artist Agatha Gothe-Snape and performance artist Brian Fuata. They have exhibited and performed internationally: The Guest House, Gwangju Biennale of Art 2018, Gwangju; Cardinals, with Shane Haseman, Performa Biennial, New York (2015); and nationally: No Dance, Campbelltown Arts Centre (2009); Cruising with Wrong Solo, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney (2010); Destine Variations, for Endless Circulation Tarrawarra Biennial, Tarrawarra (2016); I am branch…Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne (2017) and Various titles, Horsham Regional Gallery, Victoria (2017). They have also performed in lecture theatres, domestic spaces and skate parks. More information about Wrong Solo can be found on their website.

STARTERS

When | 3pm – 6pm Saturday 13 April, 2019

Location | Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre

Tickets | $10 each

BOOKINGS

Photo credit
Joshua Morris

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