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Member for Swan Hill, Peter Walsh, today congratulated Jody Croft from Swan Hill on being one of twenty artists shortlisted for prizes totalling more than $50,000 as part of the Victorian Government’s 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards.
Announced this week by Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu, the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards play an important role in celebrating and promoting the work of the State’s Indigenous artists and our unique Koorie culture.
Twenty-seven works were selected from 132 entries for this year’s awards, with Mrs Croft shortlisted as a finalist for her work Rainbow Energy.
“This quite large painting by Mrs Croft is very striking and expressive,” Mr Walsh said today.
“Its depiction of a rainbow using indigenous forms rather than the more traditional structure is particularly notable and very appealing.
“I wish her the very best in the final judging process and I look forward to viewing all the artist’s works at the fortyfivedownstairs gallery later in March,” he said.
Mr Baillieu said the shortlisted artists worked across a variety of mediums, from traditional painting and weaving techniques to photography, sculpture, video and street art.
“There are many voices and many generations of Indigenous artists in Victoria working to uphold traditions and to express their culture in new and distinct ways,” Mr Baillieu said.
The awards, which give prizes across five categories, are open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists living in Victoria and, now in their seventh year, profile the diversity of Indigenous arts practice in Victoria and showcase the uniqueness of south-east Australian Aboriginal art.
This year’s finalists include both regional and metropolitan artists, past winners and several who have not been shortlisted before. Seven of the shortlisted artists have two artworks on the shortlist.
The finalists were selected by an expert judging panel comprising Dr Treahna Hamm, an Aboriginal artist; Clinton Nain, a Torres Strait Islander artist; and Jason Smith, Director of Heide Museum of Art.
The winners of the 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards will be announced on 9 March 2012 and the finalist exhibition will be open to the public from 10 to 31 March 2012 at the awards partner gallery, fortyfivedownstairs at 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.