William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize virtual tour

Enjoy the works of all the finalists and read their artist statements from the comfort of your living room by taking the virtual tour of the 2021 William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize exhibition. A showcase of contemporary Australian photography, a total of 52 finalists are on display as part of the exhibition for the 16th annual William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize.

Selected from over 1,700 images from Australian artists, the Prize offers the winning work an award of $30,000 as well as inclusion into the Monash Gallery of Art’s nationally significant collection of Australian photographs.

Melbourne artist, Lillian O'Neil won the William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize for her work, Drawing to a close (2020). Colour Factory Honourable Mentions were awarded to Lauren Bamford for her intimate and odd diptych, Easter egg hunt and Dot's apple (2021), to Shea Kirk for his compelling and raw double portrait, Dina Scintilla (left and right view) (2021), and to Ali Tahayori for his altered family archive photograph that speaks to an undisclosed trauma, Sisterhood (2021). Tahayori also received the Smith & Singer People’s Choice Award.

The 2021 competition was judged by acclaimed artist Del Kathryn Barton, MGA Director Anouska Phizacklea, and Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Australia, Karen Quinlan AM.

2021 finalists

Leith Alexander, Svetlana Bailey, Kate Ballis, Lauren Bamford, Gabrielle Bates, Tom Blachford, Paul Blackmore, Christophe Canato, Danica Chappell, Benjamin Cole, Nici Cumpston, Tamara Dean, Marian Drew, Jo Duck, Liss Fenwick, Silvi Glattauer, Richard Glover, Rebecca Griffiths, Joanne Handley, Jesse Harvey, Ponch Hawkes, Joseph Häxan, Petrina Hicks, Edi Ivancic, Angelique Joy, Tony Kearney, Ingvar Kenne, Shea Kirk, Honey Long and Prue Stent, Paula Mahoney, Harry McAlpine, Joseph McGlennon, Rod McNicol, Danie Mellor, Hayley Millar Baker, Mark Mohell, Lillian O'Neil, Meredith O'Shea, Ashley Perry, Patrick Pound, Ruiqi Qiu, Tonina Ryan, Amber Schmidt, Jessica Schwientek, Christopher Sheils, Melissa Spiccia, Ali Tahayori, Christian Thompson, Angela Tiatia, James Tylor, Justine Varga, Amy Woodward.

 

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November

Sydney: The exhibition delves into the State Library of NSW's vast collection of two million images, showcasing 400 photos – many displayed for the first time.

February

Ballarat: Scotty So is a Melbourne-based artist who works across media, using painting, photography, sculptures, site-responsive installation, videos and drag performance.

Melbourne: Jill Orr’s The Promised Land Refigured is an exhibition that reworks the original project created in 2012 with new insights that have emerged in the past eleven years.

Sydney: Curated by Lynn Smith, Urban Enigmas aims to unlock the subtle mysteries that lurk in out-of-the-way places in big cities: back lanes, river banks, street markets, abandoned factories, old bridges and so on.

March

Ballarat: Nan Goldin is an American artist whose work explores subcultures, moments of intimacy, the impacts of the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics on her communities, and photography as a tool for social activism.

Sydney: The Ocean Photographer of the Year Award, run by London based Oceanographic Magazine is in its 4th year and has quickly achieved recognition amongst photographers around the world.

Albury: The National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.