2018 Blacktown City Art Prize Winners

Bankstown Koori Elders Group was awarded the 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize for Tribal Pride, a 190 cm sculptural work made from clay, wood and sand.

Tribal Pride was made by 11 Elders, with their teacher Walter Auer.

The judges noted the artwork features “a quintessential visual language that speaks of this place, Sydney. Although Tribal Pride is a contemporary ceramic work, it acknowledges traditional cultural practices such as carving, evident through the delicate and precise line work.”

“The pride we get when we see it all come together as one work of art is encouraging; the enjoyment we get as a mob is very uplifting,” said the Elders, who won the Aboriginal Artist Prize in 2016. “For us to gather together to create art is wonderful and inspirational.”

Highly Commended were Jane Theau for #MeToo, and Mohsen Meysami, Green, Blue, Yellow, Red …

Fozia Zahid of Blacktown was awarded the Local Artist Prize for Country Out of the Man, a painting that captures a quiet moment in Western Sydney.

“It evokes a sense of place and community that can only be expressed by someone who holds a personal connection to this place,” said the judges.

Highly Commended was Belinda Sims of Lalor Park for Saudade: Portrait of Janet and Leo Kelly at Home, 2018, “a loving and endearing portrait of two significant community members that have contributed greatly to the thriving artistic community of Blacktown.”

First prize in the Aboriginal Artist category was Venessa Possum for Damana (Hand).

The judges commended the intimacy in the artist’s representation of the hand, and the assemblage of the piece which is “a thought-provoking and conceptual work that challenges perceptions of contemporary Aboriginal art practice.”

Highly Commended was Blak Douglas for Workers (for the Dole) Club.

The judging panel – Tony Albert, Emily McDaniel and Dominik Mersch – faced the difficult task of selecting winning works from more than 600 entries by artists from all around Australia.

“The final works reflected the cultural diversity of Western Sydney by sharing localised stories and reflections of the place and community; they remind us that the artist is a storyteller first and foremost,” said the judges.

The Blacktown City Art Prize is proudly supported by Ford Land Company, WestLink M7, Blacktown Workers’ Club and Blacktown City Council’s Environmental Services.Exhibition | 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize
1 December 2017 – 25 January 2018Winner 2018 Blacktown City Art Prize
Bankstown Koori Elders Group , Tribal Pride, 2018

Winner Aboriginal Artist Prize
Venessa Possum, Damana (Hand), 2018

Winner Local Artist Prize
Fozia Zahid, Country Out of the Man, 2018

Highly Commended
Jane Theau, #MeToo, 2018

Highly Commended
Mohsen Meysami,Green, Blue, Yellow, Red …, 2018

Highly Commended
Belinda Sims, Saudade: Portrait of Janet and Leo Kelly at Home, 2018, 2018

Highly Commended
Blak Douglas, Workers (for the Dole) Club, 2018, 2018

Image Credit: Jennifer Leahy, Silversalt Photography