The higher the standard of entries in any competition, the more difficult it is to find a winner. There are many outstanding works in the 2007 Sunshine Coast Art Prize, and they stood out for a variety of reasons.
Sheer technical skill is immediately apparent in the painting by Kevin Oxley and the drawing by Cassandra Laing. Pamela Kouwenhoven’s collage is an impressive (and ecologically aware) update on the long Australian tradition of depicting the arid eroded surface of much of our country. Alfredo Aquilizan powerfully represents the daunting tangle of family ties and unknown prospects that migrants experience. In a much more understated work, Corrie Wright is able to weave a delicate pattern of ordinary daily experience with multiple reflections in the rear view mirror of a car.
There is some fine photography in this group of works, indicating the current strength of that medium in Australia. The award for third place in the competition went to a photograph by Vikki Wilson, mainly because it is extremely beautiful. Her Chinoiserie Filmstrip, however, is much more than a pretty picture. It involves experiments with camera technique and an extensive study of the ways in which cultures express themselves by modifying and depicting the landscape.
The times we live in almost dictate that there will be strong ideological positions taken by some artists, as is the case with this year’s entries. The award for second place went to Van Thanh Rudd’s painting 100 000 - 400 000, a confronting protest against the invasion of Iraq. War explodes in a sedate living room, just as it does on our televisions. The reason this is an award-winning work of art and not just a strident political statement is that it is frighteningly graphic without actually depicting violence, and it is not simplistic like a protest chant. Ambiguities in the painting acknowledge that while the situation it depicts is terrible, it is also terribly complex.
When the work by the winner of a competition is going to be acquired for a permanent collection it should not only reflect the most interesting contemporary developments. It should also be of lasting significance within Australian art and society, because it’s going to be around for a long time. The 2007 Sunshine Coast Art Prize was awarded to Tony Alberts because his meticulously composed photograph captures the astonishing range of potential meanings than can be contained in a brief moment. It is a deceptively simple image. The intense relationship between the man and the woman in 50perCENT feat SISSY could be interpreted in as many ways as there are viewers who see the work. Whether the picture is about fear or confidence or affection or aggression could be endlessly debated. As a snapshot of urban indigenous Australian youth, it is probably about all these things and a lot more. It is impossible to be sure whether the metal mesh in the background is in a prison cell or a stylish techno nightclub. The title is adapted from the names of American rap musicians, and underlines the impact of popular media on contemporary art. It is a cultural time capsule that will comfortably take its place in a growing collection of art works.
Timothy Morrell
