The winner of The University of Queensland’s 2013 National Artists' Self-Portrait Prize will be announced on Friday (18 October).
Thirty-eight of Australia’s most innovative artists are contending for the $50,000 invitation-only acquisitive prize, which is held every two years.
Previous winners were Ben Quilty in 2007, Julie Rrap in 2009, and Domenico de Clario in 2011.
UQ Art Museum Director Dr Campbell Gray said The University of Queensland National Artists' Self-Portrait Prize 2013: remix. post. connect. was a major award that connected with significant contemporary issues.
“In 2013 artists have been asked to consider how the self is constructed and received in contemporary culture,” Dr Gray said.
“The self-image is a pervasive feature of social media, reality television and everyday life, with audiences primed to consume personal information,” Dr Gray said.
The judge of this year’s Self-Portrait Prize is Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) Assistant Director, Curatorial and Digital, Dr Blair French.
Dr French was Executive Director of Artspace Visual Arts Centre in Sydney before joining the MCA in mid-2013.
UQ Art Museum Curator Samantha Littley said entrants had embraced the theme for this year’s Prize, remix. post. connect.
“Artists have connected with ideas around the contemporary impulse to manipulate, project and communicate aspects of self in our increasingly virtual world,” Ms Littley said.
“While several artists work with traditional materials like bronze, or in a hyper-realist style, many have also referenced digital technology in their artwork.”
“Some artists have used the internet to extend the reach of their work beyond the gallery walls,” she said.
Artists were asked to take an open-ended approach to the self-portrait, with submissions across all media.
“The Self-Portrait Prize is national, so we aim to represent artists from around the country who are creating exciting work,” Dr Gray said.
The Prize complements the University's National Collection of Artists' Self Portraits, which features the work of historical and contemporary artists.
The Self-Portrait Prize will be on display at the UQ Art Museum, St Lucia campus, from 19 October 2013 to 16 February 2014. Admission is free.
Visitors to the exhibition will be able to vote for their favourite work in a Peoples’ Choice Award – details at the UQ Art Museum.
Public Programs: Saturday 19 October
11am – 1pm:
Artists James Dodd, Eugenia Raskopoulos, Victoria Reichelt and Sancintya Simpson in conversation with UQ Art Museum Curator Samantha Littley, followed by refreshments.
Media opportunities:
An embargoed media release naming the winner will be issued on Thursday 17 October. The UQ Art Museum will endeavour to have the winning artist available for photographs and interviews on Friday 18 October (depending on the artist’s availability). A number of the entrants will be in Brisbane for the launch on Friday evening. Media stories will be embargoed until 7pm Friday October 18, when the winner will be publicly announced.
Media contacts: UQ Art Museum Curator Samantha Littley (Tuesday to Friday) 07 3346 8782, 0416 198 632, s.littley@uq.edu.au; UQ Art Museum Associate Director (Curatorial) Michele Helmrich, 07 3346 8759, 0418 754 983, m.helmrich@uq.edu.au; UQ Art Museum Digital Communications Officer Sebastian Moody (Monday to Thursday) 07 3346 8761, 0419 789 006, s.moody@uq.edu.au.
**High-resolution images are available for download here.
Artists competing for The University of Queensland National Artists’ Self-Portrait Prize 2013: remix. post. connect. are:
Chris Bennie (Qld), Natasha Bieniek (Vic), Jane Burton (Vic), Thea Costantino (WA), Paula do Prado (NSW), James Dodd (SA), Adrienne Doig (NSW), Yavuz Erkan (Qld/ Turkey), Fiona Foley (Qld), Katherine Griffiths (ACT), David Griggs (NSW/ Philippines), Brent Harris (Vic), Petrina Hicks (NSW), Anastasia Klose (Vic), Michael Lindeman (NSW), Jess MacNeil (NSW/ UK), Jennifer Mills (Vic), Kate Mitchell (NSW), Archie Moore (Qld), Nell (NSW), Shaun O’Connor (Qld/ USA), Tom O’Hern (Tas), Ryan Presley (Qld), Eugenia Raskopoulos (NSW), Victoria Reichelt (Qld), Tobias Richardson (NT/ NSW), Stuart Ringholt (Vic), David Rosetzky (Vic), Khaled Sabsabi (NSW), Yhonnie Scarce (SA/ Vic), Nalda Searles (WA), Alex Seton (NSW), Sancintya Simpson (Qld), Jacqui Stockdale (Vic), Darren Sylvester (Vic), TextaQueen (Vic), David M Thomas (Qld), Min Wong (NT).
