Queensland’s Best Decided by Personal Response to Family Values
Monday, 17 July, 2017. Queensland’s best Indigenous artists and organisations have been recognised among peers at this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair held in the city over the weekend.
The Premier and Minister for the Arts Annastacia Palaszczuk MP announced the winner of the Queensland Government’s prestigious Premier’s Award for Excellence at Thursday’s opening party as Garry Namponan from Wik and Kugu Art Centre who will receive $15,000 to support the continued development of his art practice.
“It is my great pleasure to present this award, which recognises the most outstanding work at the Fair, to Mr Namponan an Aurukun artist renowned for his Ku’ (Camp Dog) sculptures and abstracted painted canvases,” the Premier said.
Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, artist Tony Albert said Mr Namponan was chosen to receive the Premier’s Award for Excellence for his body of work that shows an exceptional quality and narrative that transitions from sculpture through to painting.
“I am delighted the Queensland Government has partnered with CIAF to create the Premier’s Award for Excellence and to part of the inaugural CIAF Art Awards.
“These Awards are a wonderful addition to CIAF that celebrates our talented artists, provides further development pathways for Queensland Indigenous artists, and increases the Fair’s national and international profile,” the Premier said.
Additional category winners include:
Alison Murray from Girringun Art Centre, winner of the Emerging Artist Award sponsored by Marsh Property ($5000 prize)
Gail Mabo securing the Award for Innovation sponsored by Copyright Agency, Viscopy ($10,000 prize), and
Wik and Kugu Art Centre awarded Cairns Regional Council’s Art Centre Award, sponsored by Cairns Regional Council ($10,000 prize).
Daniel O’Shane, Canopy Art Centre awarded Peoples Choice sponsored by Fibre Optics NQ ($5000)
The judges were so impressed with the range of artworks interpreting the Family Values theme that they decided to award a series of high commendations. As follows:
Paul Bong – Excellence category – Highly Commended
Naomi Hobson – Emerging Artist category – Highly Commended
Shirley MacNamara – Innovation category – Highly Commended
Girringun Art Centre – Art Centre category – Highly Commended
CIAF’s artistic director, Janina Harding said CIAF’s award recipients were decided yesterday afternoon by an esteemed judging panel comprising Maude Page, Deputy Director, Art Gallery of NSW, Tina Baum Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art National Gallery of Australia and artists, Tony Albert.
All artists were asked to respond to this year’s theme of Family Values within the curated Art Fair exhibition.