Finalists in $30k Bowness Photography Prize revealed
A total of 51 Finalists have been announced by the Monash Gallery of Art for the 2018 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize. The Bowness Photography Prize creates a snapshot of contemporary photographic practice in Australia. The judges will award an acquisitive cash prize of $30,000 for the winning work along with three Honourable Mentions. The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by Sotheby’s Australia, now carries a prize of $2,500.
The judging panel, Dr Michael Brand, Director of AGNSW, artist Dr David Rosetzky, and Anouska Phizacklea, Director of MGA, made the selection from a field of entrants that reflected the diversity and depth of photographic practice in Australia. “Photography is alive and kicking! If you are into Australian contemporary art then this is the exhibition for you – it’s photography that needs to be seen,” Brand said. Rozesky went on to say that the final selection illustrates the breadth, depth, and diversity of current photographic practice in Australia. “It makes for a refreshing and relevant exhibition of contemporary photography that is inclusive of a wide range of different experiences and attitudes within Australian culture today.”
The Bowness Photography Prize uniquely captures what is going on in contemporary photographic practice in Australia today. The themes and subject matter of this year’s entries reflect issues dominating our society and culture, along with intense reactions to the current politically-charged environment. Many of the entrants included works that delve into Manus Island Detention Centre refugees, sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, and Australia’s colonial history.
This year, size restrictions for image submissions (previously 2m) were removed, providing a new platform for artists working on a large scale or through installation. The diverse shortlist explores a breath of practice in a range of mediums and formats. There is a strong resurgence in cameraless processes and also highly-constructed digital scenes. Subject matter and themes shift from confronting and quirky portraiture, to traditional landscapes shot through a contemporary lens, through to conceptual or performative practice, and raw, unflinching documentary practice. Some of the themes explored with the work included the culture and environment with explorations into Indigenous perspectives, equality and inequality, gender diversity, sexual identity, empowerment, and disability as well as geological and biological evolution.
2018 Finalists
Hoda Afshar, Robert Ashton, Sofi Basseghi, Alison Bennett, Devika Bilimoria, Tom Blachford, Aaron Bradbrook, Danica Chappell, Rowan Conroy, Michael Cook, Tamara Dean, Marian Drew, Thomas Edward, Amos Gebhardt, John Gollings, Linsey Gosper, Lee Grant, Janina Green, Ponch Hawkes, Hego, Petrina Hicks, Shelley Horan, Leah King-Smith, Katrin Koenning, Sandra Lamonaca, Mathew Lynn, Kirsten Lyttle, Isobel Markus-Dunworth, Ben McGee, Joseph McGlennon, Rod McNicol, Jacqueline Mitelman, Nasim Nasr, Polixeni Papapetrou, Matthew Portch, Clare Rae, Julie Rrap, Melissa Spiccia, Nathan Stolz, Natalya Stone, Ian Strange, Darren Sylvester, Samuel Szwarcbord, Cyrus Tang, Di Tang, Natalie Tirant, Justine Varga, James Verdon, Martin Walch, Amanda William,s and Anne Zahalka.