RAMSAY ART PRIZE 2023

Hello Everyone,

WHAT IS THIS AND WHERE IS IT SITUATED?

Last Saturday morning, I went to a preview of the Ramsay Art Prize at our ever-stimulating Art Gallery of South Australia. As always, it was fascinating to see what the under 40’s are bringing to the table to feast on in today’s galleries. Being a poet with a penchant for philosophical musings, I wasn’t disappointed in the thoughtful and creative ways the artists brought various personal and social issues to our attention. The sustainable coconut husk ‘canvases’ of the Sydney artist JD Reforma and the extraordinary mix of textiles, turmeric, flaxseed, onion, purple cabbage, avocado, rosemary, eucalyptus, fern tea, rope, ribbon, recycled timber and powder-coated steel of Nadia Hernandez’s spiralled motifs, depicting Venezuela’s downward spiral from ‘prosperity and progress’ were extraordinary. So too were the videos of Ida Sophia, Pascale Giorgi, Daniel Mckewen and Jacobus Capone who engaged all our senses as they took us into the physical world, and the artists’ inner worlds, and provoked our own memories and thoughts of so many experiences, tapping into our own concerns as well.

As a former English teacher, I was tickled by the play on our English metalanguage on JD Reforma’s coconut husks, especially the PRO!NOUNSPRO!VERBSPRO!ADJECTIVES! and the delightful symbolism on the ‘resourcefulness resilience resistance’ canvas. (I won’t explain. Please go and see it for yourself.) One of his epithets asks, “What do paintings see?’ and another proclaims: ‘a look is an act of generosity.’ It was delightful to see some artists with a sense of humour, reflecting our human foibles back at us! Be prepared to take your time exploring these exhibits because some are even accompanied by background correspondence that is enlightening and even disturbing, and most require a closer examination of the subtleties of a complex series of catalysts, motivations and ongoing re-examinations of the facts and the fictions and the forces that were operating on the artist . . . and on ourselves in our role as viewers.

However, the thing I most wanted to share with you was my reaction to voting for the People’s Choice Award. It seemed as though it would be a hard choice but, in the end, it was the simplest choice in the world. For me, it came down to two artworks, one Capone’s video of a man walking in a melting glacier and the other a depiction of tidal movement or waves by Tiwi artist, Alison Puruntatameri. Why did these two works stand out so much? I concluded that it was the sense of wonder evident in both. This was conveyed so supremely in the artwork and video images and the way they pointed to something more enduring and bigger than themselves. Bigger than all of us.

In Capone’s case, I was deeply moved by the landscape that dwarfed the tiny dark figure moving through it, and the terrible irony that that little figure represented the collective impact we have on such breath-taking beauty. In Puruntatameri’s depiction of tidal movements using natural ochres and a pwoja, I felt such pure joy in the process of one generation handing on the deep feeling for the landscape and the songs and stories and skills that swelled through those coloured waves. This reminded me that relationships are at the heart of everything that is worthwhile in this world. Our relationship with the planet. Our relationships with each other. And our relationship with our God, the ultimate artist, who created everything to sustain us and to give us pleasure beyond measure.

I was surprised to discover a feeling of relief also, when thinking about this work. Relief from the relentless bellyaching of artists who want to batter the viewer with their outrage. I realised that art, like contemporary society, had become a haven for individuals to claim victimhood, either as individuals, or as self-appointed representatives of their ‘tribe’ which seems to be the dark path we have been led down in the pursuit of individualism that must meet all the demands of the individual without compromise with reality. An untenable position of trying to satisfy competing demands.

In short, I loved the love represented in each stroke of Puruntatameri’s work and it won my vote without equivocation! May it have a long life of turning us towards our family, our history and traditions, the beauty of our landscape and the joy in expressing that love creatively for pure pleasure. Love and joy are abstract nouns, but they have found a tangible expression in this artwork. Congratulations, Alison!

My very best wishes,

Julie

P.S. In case you were wondering, the image is a snippet taken from a photo of Chinese Artist, Lindy Lee’s, sculpture, The Life of Stars, situated beside the forecourt of our stately Art Gallery of South Australia building. One of the aspects of this sculpture that I have always enjoyed is its shape which foreshadows the many ideas that have been hatched, resulting in the fascinating art works within the gallery. This, in turn, gives birth to other thoughts and ideas and catalysts for more creative works in multiple disciplines. Another delightful aspect of the work is watching families interacting with the sculpture and the pleasure it gives them as parents introduce their children to art in a tactile, friendly and fascinating way, feeling its texture and peering into the images reflected within it.