Metro 5 Gallery c_ex Art Award 2008 media release

PAINTING WITH STARK ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE WINS
AUSTRALIA'S RICHEST PRIZE FOR YOUNG PAINTERS
THE 2008 METRO 5 ART AWARD

A painting of a receding and fragile Mount Kosciusko trapped forever in a toy snow dome has won the $40,000 Judges' Prize in Australia's richest prize for young painters under 35, the 2008 Metro 5 Art Award. A second work of a Jack Russell terrier sitting on a cushion encased in bubble wrap was Highly Commended by the judges. A triptych of an unidentified naked woman, a room and a burning building took out the People's Choice Prize of $10,000.

The Awards were presented by The Honourable Jeff Kennett before a packed audience at the Metro 5 Gallery in Armadale, Melbourne.

Twenty-eight year old Fergus Binns, who was born in Lismore, New South Wales and now lives in Bellfield in north-east Melbourne, won the Judges' Prize for his 'Mount Kosciusko with receding snow dome.' The painting pays homage to Eugene von Guerard's famous 1863 painting 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko' and contains a stark message about the damage inflicted on our environment.

Thirty-five year old Jacqueline George from West Beach in Adelaide, South Australia, also received the only High Commendation from the judges for her 'Bubbleboy, Still Life', which explores the domestication of the human race.

Twenty-five year old Jackson Slattery, who was born in Armadale, Victoria and now lives in North Fitzroy, won the People's Choice Prize for his 'Mistakes we wish we'd made, Irtusk Russia, 17-17 November', a fictional narrative painting inspired by his travels in Russia.

Full details on the paintings and the artists follow at the end of this release.

Twenty five finalists were selected this year out of over 300 entries for the Award.

Mr Kennett said: "The standard of entries this year was very high and the panel deliberated for nearly two hours before deciding on the winner.

"The judges were looking for an original concept as well as technical excellence. Fergus' painting was selected for both those reasons and also because it is multi-layered and succeeds on so many different levels.

"Firstly, he has successfully connected Australia's past and future by linking his work to a famous historical painting by Eugene von Guerard 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko; while at the same time, encasing the mountain peak in a futuristic, mythical snow dome.

"Secondly, the scene preserved under the snow dome echoes the concerns many of us have today about unsustainable environmental damage. The message it sends is bluntly cynical - the scene under the snow dome is very much like an extinct being preserved in a glass museum box for future generations to marvel at.

"And last but not least, the painting is particularly rewarding in a purely visual sense. The level of detail within the snow dome demands close, personal inspection and the more one peers into it, the more surprises one discovers within its miniature world including tiny koalas, rosellas, Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos and snow machines. It has a very endearing, nostalgic quality about it.

"We also wanted to give a High Commendation to South Australian artist Jacqueline George who deserves recognition for the originality and technique of her work 'Bubbleboy, Still Life', which I understand is her own Jack Russell Terrier."

Metro 5 Gallery Director, Mr Andrea Candiani, said the Metro 5 Art Award was established in 2003 and numerous former finalists and winners have gone on to be successful in other major art awards.

"Examples include Marcus Wills, a Metro 5 finalist in 2003, who won the Archibald Prize in 2006. Ben Quilty (winner 2004) and Sam Leach (winner 2006) subsequently won the Geelong Gallery's Fletcher Jones Prize and were named among the 50 Most Collectable Artists in Australia. Both have since reached the finals of the Archibald as have former Metro 5 winners and finalists Yvette Coppersmith, Michael Zavros, Zhong Chen, Jason Benjamin and James Cochran," he said.

Mr Candiani said that were five more finalists in the Award this year than in previous years - nine from Victoria; 11 from New South Wales, one each from Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and two from the Northern Territory.

All works by the finalists will be exhibited at the gallery from now until 6 July.

Artist details and statements:

Fergus Binns, Judges' Prize, $40,000
28 years old
Born Lismore, NSW
Lives Bellfield (north east suburb of Melbourne)
Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), Victorian College of the Arts

Artist statement:
"Eugene von Guerard's images are used as homage and to reference Australia's mysterious colonial past and struggle to adapt to the land. Our colonial past is built around mythology and the future has an element of myth and uncertainty to it also. The receding snow dome encasing the mountain suggests a future where the highest peak in Australia has become a controlled product environment which here consists of snow machines, people and snow dome animals. Receding snow domes are mystical worlds brought to life by the shaking of the object. There is only a certain degree of control over these fragile environments though."

Quote on winning:
"Winning will mean I can put some money back into my practice as an artist. I currently work part time in hospitality as well as painting in my studio in Collingwood. It's the first prize I've entered so it's wonderful to get this recognition of my work."

Jacqueline Liza George, High Commendation
35 years old
Lives West Beach, Adelaide, South Australia
Bachelor of Visual Arts, South Australian School of Art, University of South Australia

Artist statement:
"In my work, I often use animals to explore the human condition. This painting shows a domestic pet (my own Jack Russell terrier) wrapped in bubblewrap, removed from the natural environment. He is protected, but he is also confined and suffocated at the same time. His freedom is stifled, as are his instincts. Modern society also offers protection and security, but at a cost, which is loss of self expression and basic freedoms."

Quote on winning:
"I'm thrilled to have been recognised in such a prestigious art award, especially at this point in my career.

"I always loved art as a child, but the financial side of it really worried me - artists are not known for having a regular income! So I became a medical receptionist. But when I turned 30, I realised that painting was in my blood and it was something I just had to do. I went back to college to get my BA in Arts and started life as a full time artist after I graduated two years ago.

"I've also been accepted this year as a finalist in the South Australian Museum's Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, so all my ducks seem to be lining up!"

Jackson Slattery, People's Choice Prize, $10,000
25 years old
Born Armadale, Victoria
Lives North Fitzroy, Victoria
Bachelor of Fine Arts, RMIT, Melbourne

Artist statement:
"This painting questions the incredulous relationship between the truth and the image, as well as addressing parallel realities and alternating levels of existence in objects. The title and continuity of the three paintings implies a chronological order of actual events yet the inspirational source material for my paintings comes from my own personal photos, as well as random happy snaps that I find on the internet. The viewer never knows which ones are real (as in my own personal photos) and which aren't, which means he or she is free to create their own version of my past. The narrative begins autobiographically but gradually splinters into the fictional and fantastical. Essentially, the painting aims to question the validity of external realities. This painting was inspired by a trip from St Petersburg to Mongolia in 2006. The banality of travel, the long wasted days which at the time seem boring but in retrospect, as nostalgia sets in, they become more interesting."

Quote on winning:
"I work at Melbourne Artist Supplies in Little Latrobe Street in the city a couple of days a week which is great but I'd love to spend more time on my art in my studio at the Gertrude Contemporary Arts Space. This recognition is fantastic. I feel very flattered as I admire a lot of the other finalists so it is an honour to be up there with them."

For interviews with artists, or to receive high resolution images, please call:

Linda King
King Public Relations
T 0412 490 777

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2008 METRO 5 ART AWARD
2008 METRO 5 ART AWARD	10 Jun - 6 July 2008
MEDIA RELEASE 24 JUNE 2008
PAINTING WITH STARK ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE WINS AUSTRALIA'S RICHEST PRIZE FOR YOUNG PAINTERS THE 2008 METRO 5 ART AWARD A painting of a receding and fragile Mount Kosciusko trapped forever in a toy snow dome has won the $40,000 Judges' Prize in Australia's richest prize for young painters under 35, the 2008 Metro 5 Art Award. A second work of a Jack Russell terrier sitting on a cushion encased in bubble wrap was Highly Commended by the judges. A triptych of an unidentified naked woman, a room and a burning building took out the People's Choice Prize of $10,000. The Awards were presented by The Honourable Jeff Kennett before a packed audience at the Metro 5 Gallery in Armadale, Melbourne. Twenty-eight year old Fergus Binns, who was born in Lismore, New South Wales and now lives in Bellfield in north-east Melbourne, won the Judges' Prize for his 'Mount Kosciusko with receding snow dome.' The painting pays homage to Eugene von Guerard's famous 1863 painting 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko' and contains a stark message about the damage inflicted on our environment. Thirty-five year old Jacqueline George from West Beach in Adelaide, South Australia, also received the only High Commendation from the judges for her 'Bubbleboy, Still Life', which explores the domestication of the human race. Twenty-five year old Jackson Slattery, who was born in Armadale, Victoria and now lives in North Fitzroy, won the People's Choice Prize for his 'Mistakes we wish we'd made, Irtusk Russia, 17-17 November', a fictional narrative painting inspired by his travels in Russia. Full details on the paintings and the artists follow at the end of this release. Twenty five finalists were selected this year out of over 300 entries for the Award. Mr Kennett said: "The standard of entries this year was very high and the panel deliberated for nearly two hours before deciding on the winner. "The judges were looking for an original concept as well as technical excellence. Fergus' painting was selected for both those reasons and also because it is multi-layered and succeeds on so many different levels. "Firstly, he has successfully connected Australia's past and future by linking his work to a famous historical painting by Eugene von Guerard 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko; while at the same time, encasing the mountain peak in a futuristic, mythical snow dome. "Secondly, the scene preserved under the snow dome echoes the concerns many of us have today about unsustainable environmental damage. The message it sends is bluntly cynical - the scene under the snow dome is very much like an extinct being preserved in a glass museum box for future generations to marvel at. "And last but not least, the painting is particularly rewarding in a purely visual sense. The level of detail within the snow dome demands close, personal inspection and the more one peers into it, the more surprises one discovers within its miniature world including tiny koalas, rosellas, Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos and snow machines. It has a very endearing, nostalgic quality about it. "We also wanted to give a High Commendation to South Australian artist Jacqueline George who deserves recognition for the originality and technique of her work 'Bubbleboy, Still Life', which I understand is her own Jack Russell Terrier." Metro 5 Gallery Director, Mr Andrea Candiani, said the Metro 5 Art Award was established in 2003 and numerous former finalists and winners have gone on to be successful in other major art awards. "Examples include Marcus Wills, a Metro 5 finalist in 2003, who won the Archibald Prize in 2006. Ben Quilty (winner 2004) and Sam Leach (winner 2006) subsequently won the Geelong Gallery's Fletcher Jones Prize and were named among the 50 Most Collectable Artists in Australia. Both have since reached the finals of the Archibald as have former Metro 5 winners and finalists Yvette Coppersmith, Michael Zavros, Zhong Chen, Jason Benjamin and James Cochran," he said. Mr Candiani said that were five more finalists in the Award this year than in previous years - nine from Victoria; 11 from New South Wales, one each from Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and two from the Northern Territory. All works by the finalists will be exhibited at the gallery from now until 6 July. Artist details and statements: Fergus Binns, Judges' Prize, $40,000 28 years old Born Lismore, NSW Lives Bellfield (north east suburb of Melbourne) Bachelor of Fine Art (Painting), Victorian College of the Arts Artist statement: "Eugene von Guerard's images are used as homage and to reference Australia's mysterious colonial past and struggle to adapt to the land. Our colonial past is built around mythology and the future has an element of myth and uncertainty to it also. The receding snow dome encasing the mountain suggests a future where the highest peak in Australia has become a controlled product environment which here consists of snow machines, people and snow dome animals. Receding snow domes are mystical worlds brought to life by the shaking of the object. There is only a certain degree of control over these fragile environments though." Quote on winning: "Winning will mean I can put some money back into my practice as an artist. I currently work part time in hospitality as well as painting in my studio in Collingwood. It's the first prize I've entered so it's wonderful to get this recognition of my work." Jacqueline Liza George, High Commendation 35 years old Lives West Beach, Adelaide, South Australia Bachelor of Visual Arts, South Australian School of Art, University of South Australia Artist statement: "In my work, I often use animals to explore the human condition. This painting shows a domestic pet (my own Jack Russell terrier) wrapped in bubblewrap, removed from the natural environment. He is protected, but he is also confined and suffocated at the same time. His freedom is stifled, as are his instincts. Modern society also offers protection and security, but at a cost, which is loss of self expression and basic freedoms." Quote on winning: "I'm thrilled to have been recognised in such a prestigious art award, especially at this point in my career. "I always loved art as a child, but the financial side of it really worried me - artists are not known for having a regular income! So I became a medical receptionist. But when I turned 30, I realised that painting was in my blood and it was something I just had to do. I went back to college to get my BA in Arts and started life as a full time artist after I graduated two years ago. "I've also been accepted this year as a finalist in the South Australian Museum's Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, so all my ducks seem to be lining up!" Jackson Slattery, People's Choice Prize, $10,000 25 years old Born Armadale, Victoria Lives North Fitzroy, Victoria Bachelor of Fine Arts, RMIT, Melbourne Artist statement: "This painting questions the incredulous relationship between the truth and the image, as well as addressing parallel realities and alternating levels of existence in objects. The title and continuity of the three paintings implies a chronological order of actual events yet the inspirational source material for my paintings comes from my own personal photos, as well as random happy snaps that I find on the internet. The viewer never knows which ones are real (as in my own personal photos) and which aren't, which means he or she is free to create their own version of my past. The narrative begins autobiographically but gradually splinters into the fictional and fantastical. Essentially, the painting aims to question the validity of external realities. This painting was inspired by a trip from St Petersburg to Mongolia in 2006. The banality of travel, the long wasted days which at the time seem boring but in retrospect, as nostalgia sets in, they become more interesting." Quote on winning: "I work at Melbourne Artist Supplies in Little Latrobe Street in the city a couple of days a week which is great but I'd love to spend more time on my art in my studio at the Gertrude Contemporary Arts Space. This recognition is fantastic. I feel very flattered as I admire a lot of the other finalists so it is an honour to be up there with them." For interviews with artists, or to receive high resolution images, please call: Linda King King Public Relations T 0412 490 777