The Bundaberg Art Prize is set to see another impressive year of competition with over 450 entries received, about 10 per cent up on last year.
Bundaberg Art Prize’s Phil Oakley said now in its sixth year, the competition was designed so there was pretty much something for everyone from traditional landscapes to portraits, to modern abstract, some nudes and a variety of animals, showcasing the weird and wonderful.
“It is wonderful to see that we have received so many entries, most of who are from the Bundaberg region, but we also have drawn entries from Sydney, Melbourne and South Australia,” he said.
“As expected, the most popular categories this year are easel works and works on paper which encompasses pretty much every conceivable form of medium to create a painting from using traditional paints, pastels and pencils to lolly wrappers, cold wax, linocuts, mosaics. sand, textiles, collage, glow in the dark yarn, gold flakes, copper plate engraving to paintings and drawings created on an iPad.
“Again, the 3D section is always fun, and we have artworks using steel, clay, resin, found objects, wood, plaster, rubber, leather, glass, pallets and stone and these all sit alongside Photography and even short videos.”
It is a proud moment for entrants knowing that their work will be viewed by high-profile judge Wendy Sharp AM, one of Australia’s most acclaimed and awarded artists who has won a long list of prizes, residencies and scholarships including winning the Archibald Prize, the Sulman Prize, the Portia Geach Memorial Award and the Gold Award.
Wendy will be visiting Bundaberg before her next exhibition at the Australian Embassy in Paris in September, and it is wonderful for organisers to have her be a part of this local competition.
Wendy Sharpe AM is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and awarded artists, she lives and works in Sydney and Paris.
She has been awarded many international residencies, in places as diverse as Antarctica and Egypt , and has also had residencies with the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, Circus Oz and more.
Major commissions include, one from the Australian War Memorial as an Australian Official War artist, the first woman since WWll.
In 2024 she held a solo exhibition Spellbound at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Sharpe has held over 70 solo exhibitions around Australia and internationally.
The exhibition is on from Saturday 31 August to 1pm on Sunday 8 September, with the opening night on Friday 30 August at 6pm, with the winners announced at 7pm.
Tickets for the opening night are $25, including food, drink, entertainment and obviously lots of art.
The awards this year will be held in the Main Pavilion at the Bundaberg Recreational Precinct, opposite the airport.
