KILGOUR PRIZE 2019

Peter BARKER
born 1971 Perth WA
What to do with time slipping away  2019
oil and chalk on canvas
artist collection

A contemplative self-portrait, reflecting on this thing and profession called art. I wanted to capture a very raw emotion of the painting process, no embellishments, no tricks, no fashion, just the day to day application of paint and the thoughtful process that goes on behind the scenes. The title of "what to do with time slipping away” is a very real thought and constant worry with so many hours spent in studio and in deep contemplation.

Anthony BARTOK
born 1983 Sydney NSW
Couple (grey)  2019
acrylic on wood panel
artist collection

For the past few years I have enjoyed using banality in my work as a method for delivering a statement. I use images sourced from Google, trace them with a black pen, scan them and manipulate them on Photoshop and then project them onto canvas and trace the line. I find the subjects become tragic when depicted with indifference, and that indifference is also reflected in how we experience much of the world today.

Michael BELL
born 1959 Maitland NSW
The after party  2019
oil and charcoal on canvas
artist collection

This picture is about my studio, my process of painting - and about remaining positive against the odds.

I have borrowed many images from art history in making this picture. I had a lot of stories going through my head when painting.

The composition changed radically while I was painting. I kept editing and reworking the surface - endeavouring to keep the picture fresh and new.

Eva BELTRAN
born 1971 Ciudad Real, Spain
Bedtime Story  2018
acrylic and ink on canvas
artist collection

I grew up in an arid but fertile area of central Spain with infinite blue skies. Throughout my childhood, my father and I used to take long walks along the vast landscape. That environment shaped me as a person. I recently spent a weekend at an Australian farm with my son. The landscape brought back those memories strongly. This time however, I was walking with my son. My painting is a representation of personal memories and a tribute to a particular scenery, which connected to me emotionally at different cycles of my life - as daughter, as mother- and brought grandfather and grandson together, even though they never met.

Karen BLACK
born 1961 Brisbane QLD
Self portrait with red sculpture  2018
oil on board
artist collection

I began making this painting in my usual way, mixing the colours on the work itself. It gives me an opportunity to use paint in different ways, sometimes without considering the outcome. My process also reveals other images within the portrait and places me in the studio with my work.

In the 17th century, Clara Peeters painted distorted reflections of herself at work in the many shiny surfaces of her still life paintings, mainly to document herself as the artist and to claim her place in a patriarchal society.

In a recent photograph taken I’d noticed certain things about my body that I hadn’t previously noticed. A nipple protruded through my t-shirt and it made me wonder ‘am I still sexy’. I noticed that my lips were downward facing even though I was expressionless. I liked the red sculpture hanging beside me. It is something I have been working on for years using collected objects from my past. I find it comforting.

Leeroy CHAPMAN
born 1997 Newcastle NSW
Revival of a bygone age  2019
oil paint, acrylic, pastels, thread and sand on collaged canvas
artist collection

‘Revival of a bygone age’ 2019 utilises a range of mark making techniques constructed in the manner of earlier compositions, which reflects the artist ongoing exploration of material and processes. His use of geometric forms that pass over and overlap each other is a combination of past and current works that feature urban detritus and classical art, presenting a new relationship between geographies and culture.

Tamara DEAN
born 1976 North Sydney NSW
Ellie Waterhouse  2018
oil on canvas
artist collection

This is a portrait of my dear friend Ellie Waterhouse.

I am drawn to paint people who I love, have a strong connection with or I deeply respect. Ellie epitomises all of these.

From the moment I first met Ellie I was struck by her elegance, creativity and warmth and felt compelled to paint her. We have gone on to have a wonderful relationship around art.

Many years later when Ellie came to visit me down in the Shoalhaven I found the opportunity to finally paint her portrait.

Blak DOUGLAS
born1970 Blacktown NSW
Queen of her own stage (Ms Ursula Yovich)  2019
synthetic polymer on canvas
artist collection

My dear friend Ursula Yovich, actress & songstress dynamo has always been on my list of subjects to paint.

A proud Larrakia woman from Darwin, Ursula is currently performing her one woman show 'Barbara & the camp dogs' at Belvoir Theatre in Sydney. I asked Ursula to stand upon a chair for the pose because I saw it as metaphoric for Aboriginal voices to be heard.

David FAIRBAIRN
born 1949 Kitwe, Zambia, Africa
Large Head T.J.K.No 3  2019
acrylic, gouache, charcoal, pastel & ink on paper on board
artist collection

Most of my iconic portraits are intensive & obsessive observations of ordinary men & women in their later years. T.J.K. is Tony Kidd the 'small motor mechanic' who runs my local mower shop. A man of immense physical presence & size who in a former life has experienced more of the tragic realities of every day life than any of us would wish to encounter.

And yet despite those experiences, he presents as a quietly spoken, thoughtful man with great sensitivity. Having first thought he & I were on separate planets the act of engagement through painting him over many months has resulted in a recalibration of what I initially imagined him to be. I realized I carried an underlying prejudice on my part toward this man and it only served to remind me how we all carry varying degrees of cultural baggage and misunderstanding.

Painting a subject in his late sixties I could also see a reflection of my own ageing process.

Sebastian GALLOWAY
born 1989 Hobart TAS
Soft Greys  2019
oil on board
artist collection

Effie is a talented artist admired by many, including myself. She also happens to be my partner and my muse. I originally intended write about the artist/artist relationship dynamic, and perhaps intimately knowing an artist, not just the work they make. But truth be told, I just found this image of Effie, captured on a soft grey afternoon, to be particularly beautiful and my affection for her determined the painting's creation.

Peter GARDINER
born 1965 Geelong VIC
Monttainai  2019
oil on canvas
artist collection

The slow Walker is composed of waste, detritus. He walks slowly through the landscape. He is almost removed completely from nature. Made out of waste and junk he is an elegy for man’s relationship with the natural world.

Ben GAVIN
born 1981 Gosford NSW
Occupations Above The Sea of Fog  2018
gesso, photo emulsion, gelatine, graphite, pencil, ink and oilstick on canvas
artist collection

Building on the Duchampian strategy of the readymade and the use of artwork titles to create provocative self-descriptive works, Ben Gavin works with everyday objects and images in a framework of different mediums. His aim is to produce minimal response with maximal implications about contemporary life and culture. His artistic practice is to keep in one's memory a recurring theme that exposes the vulnerability and fragility of human existence and identity to imposing weights of political and cultural, social and economical systems and values.

Continuing the approach of using readymades and their titles to create provocative self-descriptive works, this painting brings together elements that carry with them weighty implications of social and political histories within art history and places them firmly in the present tense to reflect on current systems and values in both art and politics, locally and globally.

The painting, ‘Occupations Above The Sea of Fog’ amalgamates two of the most influential artworks of our time, Anselm Kiefer's ‘Occupations’ ( 1969 Tate Collection ) and David Caspar Friedrich's ‘Wanderer Above The Sea of Fog’ (1818 Hamburg Kunsthalle ). Gavin has digitally layered them together using photoshop, then fabricated the image using photographic emulsion, acrylic, gesso and oilstick. Furthermore, the technique of photo emulsion is a reference to the original medium used by Anselm Kiefer.

The romantic gesture in comparison between Kiefer and Friedrich’s compositions is not new, but the context in which they come together unearths significant discussion points for our time and place in Australia. Australia is famous for its spectacular coastline, but the politics associated with our land and sea often outweigh their splendour. In ‘Occupations Above The Sea of Fog’, a lone figure stands with their back to the land in a gesture that could be read to echo several elements of Australian culture with an obsession with border protection. Is that liminal space open or closed? With our backs to the land, what are we allowing that land to become, politically and environmentally? What signals are we sending out across the sea? Such questions and answers are there within the layers of art history and culture.

Craig HANDLEY
born 1964 Sydney NSW
‘we are particularly fond of the outdoor space’  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

‘WE ARE PARTICULARLY FOND OF THE OUTDOOR SPACE’

This is a painting about a January melancholy, about unpredictability and the ups and downs and rounds and rounds

Jacqueline HENNESSY
born 1977 St Leonards NSW
Untitled (#love #me #selfie #beautiful #happy)  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

What I want, in short, is that my (mobile) image, buffeted among a thousand shifting photographs, altering with situation and age, should always coincide with my (profound) “self”; but it is the contrary that must be said: “myself” never coincides with my image…

-Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida

Smart phones and social media have given rise to a proliferation in the creation and consumption of digital self-imagery. “Selfies” have become commodities within the economics of attention and visibility, functioning as envois proclaiming, “this is me”, both to ourselves and to others. However the claim made by the self-image to represent a stable and unified self is a fiction. The body that we identify as “me” in the image is marked by the absence of the “myself” - the invisible “I” that gazes upon the image from outside the frame. The two never coincide. All self-imagery thus amounts to an encounter with the self as other, as an absent presence in representation. This work is a meditation on the tension between absence and presence in the self-image. It also invites reflection on the social function of the self-image in our contemporary culture. What images do we choose to present as our avatars? Why do we choose them? What value do they have in the economics of attention and visibility? How authentic are they?

Tom KEUKENMEESTER
born 1988 Adelaide SA
Ramz  2018
oil on linen
artist collection

I first met Ramesh at a gallery opening soon after I moved to Sydney in 2017, introduced by a mutual friend.

I was taken by his humour, flamboyance and dedication to his art. He has become a supportive and warm friend who has encouraged me to push my boundaries in my art and explore new mediums.

I admire his dedication, work ethic and his boundless creativity and value his friendship and support greatly. He also makes for a great subject with his loud outfits, big persona and direct gaze.c

Richard LEWER
born 1970 Hamilton, New Zealand
Frank  2019
acrylic on canvas
artist collection

This is Frank, one of my guides on the Kokoda Trek in PNG. Whilst I struggled to keep on my feet and keep moving forward every day, Frank was there quietly encouraging me to keep on going, to endure and to persevere through the pain. I’m not sure how many times he’s walked the track, it would be a few hundred I’m sure, he does it in Crocs. When I fell down the side of a mountain, it was Frank that ran down after me and then treated my injuries. Frank is a family man, he spoke about his love for his kids and his relationship that wasn’t going so well. Despite my falls, bruises, hair raising river crossings, the wildlife and just generally being an outsider in PNG, I felt so safe with Frank looking after me

Michael LINDEMAN
born 1973 Sydney NSW
Midlife Report Card (Selfie)  2018
acrylic on canvas
artist collection

Michael Lindeman’s humorous parody of an anatomical diagram titled Midlife Report Card (Selfie) is a 1:1 scaled painted version of the artists’ body, a radical self-portrait that continues Lindeman’s interest in pushing at the edges of the field.

Through his portrait Midlife Report Card (Selfie) Lindeman confronts his position as an artist, and more broadly his place in the world both physically and intellectually.

Michael Lindeman’s self-portrait sets out to activate repressed impulses, embody alienation, disrupt convention and invert structures of power with a certain self-deprecating humour.  In direct contrast to the notion of artist as genius, Lindeman’s wilful idiocy goes out on a limb, he risks his neck to propose a conceptual portrait that is a mismatch with fashionable aesthetics.

Robert MALHERBE
born 1965 Rose-Hill, Mauritius
Woman in Socks  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

This was painted directly from life in one session, the model wore socks to keep herself warm.

Marie MANSFIELD
born Christchurch New Zealand
Ms. Jane Caro  2018
oil on board
private collection

I first met Jane Caro when we worked together, she was a hugely talented, passionate, respected and award-winning copywriter. Since then Jane has gone on to write 12 books, is an extensive social commentator, a lecturer, speaker, mentor, columnist and in 2018 she won a Walkley Award for her role in Women’s Leadership in the Media.

I have wanted to paint Jane for a while - so I was very happy when we collaborated. I wanted to convey something of Jane that was unique to her, when I asked Jane what the word was that described her she answered ‘direct’. I couldn’t have put it better myself, she is honest in the most respectful, and human way. I wanted to convey that in this portrait.

Siân McNABNEY
born 1984 Sydney NSW
Preparations for the Event  2019
oil on board
artist collection

‘Preparations for the Event' is a study of fear, specifically the paranoia and social anxiety that appears to be permeating the population. The isolated figure portrayed is draped in what can only be described as a crudely put together safety suit. This is both a tragicomic nod to the mental state that we are in danger of falling prey to, and the apocalyptic literature that served as a reference for this piece. The Event in question remains unknown to the audience, and possibly even to the subject; is there an imminent danger or is it just the paranoid leanings of a pitiful figure?

Joshua McPHERSON
born 1977 Nepean NSW
"Dog Day" - Portrait of Pete  2018
oil on canvas
artist collection

"Dog Day" portrait of my mate Pete was begun on a particularly tough day for him. We had arranged our painting sessions to begin and unfortunately day one happened to fall on the day he lost his precious Blue Heeler. We decided to continue with our session and I endeavoured to capture Pete's feeling and emotions that day as it shows this tough, hardworking man’s softer, gentler side. It was painted outdoors in the late afternoon on cold days during winter which contributes to the overall feeling I sought to capture of the moment.

Nigel MILSOM
born 1975 Albury NSW
Judo-house Pt 8 (a perfect light)  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

All the work in my judo-house Pt 8 (a perfect light) series stems from everyday experiences that seem to cut through the ordinary. The motivation behind this particular painting was based on quite a simple painterly concern: how to transform something familiar - a friend - into an image of unfamiliarity.

By using an extreme full-frontal light source I wanted to transfer Jeremy’s face, which is naturally quite soft and friendly, into an environment that is stark and intense where shadow is almost eliminated. The core of this painting is a desire to express the idea that shadow, although a natural phenomenon, can quite easily slip through our conscious understanding of form.

Lori PENSINI
born 1970 Narrogin WA
Wadjemup  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

Wadjemup- black jail, white playground. 1838-1902.

The history of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island, WA) tells of some 3700 aboriginal boys and men ‘rounded up’, chained at the neck, wrists and ankles and walked from as far as the goldfields, western desert, Pilbara and Kimberlys, over 2,500kms to be incarcerated on Rottnest island 19km from the mainland port of Fremantle. Hundreds died there, buried in unmarked graves and most, never returned to their country & communities, all to support colonial expansion. The Wadjemup Aboriginal Burial Ground is the largest deaths in custody gravesite in the Australia.

This painting is representative of the unnamed, the forgotten warriors and is portrayed from my family’s role in attempting to thwart the state authorities by harbouring and hiding local tribes from imprisonment in the late 1800s. The men are barely distinguishable against the muddy umber background. The dark minimalistic portrait tone defines loss of identity and the ebbing of one’s life force with the painted body markings representing their spirits suspended in limbo, drifting, unreconciled.

Stephen PLEBAN
born 1964 Brunswick VIC
After The Storm 1  2018
oil and wax on canvas
artist collection

'After the Storm' focuses on the altered relationship humans have with the natural world and our growing desire to connect to nature despite the threats we pose and the dangers it creates. My work explores environmental concerns and the impact of a changing climate. In this artwork two figures are semi submerged in a dark ominous wetland where the environment is in a state of flux and uncertainty, possibly after an abnormal weather event.

An essential aspect of my painting practice is the exploration of the painting process and its formal elements that celebrate the physicality of painting.

Jordan RICHARDSON
born 1993 Hornsby NSW
Diorama I  2018
oil on panel
artist collection

I've been particularly interested in the way narrative is portrayed within the genre of history painting. In this painting I’ve tried to construct a false narrative, the environment and the figures have no real context. The figures are placed within a diorama as a means of containing them. This gives the work a staged quality which I feel like enhances the ambiguity of the narrative.

Melissa RITCHIE
born 1978 Brunswick, Georgia, USA
GAME FACE - Portrait of Nazeem Hussain  2018
oil on board
artist collection

Nazeem Hussain is an Australian comedian who has performed sell out shows across the world, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” and Edinburgh Fringe festival. Nazeem is one of the most in-demand personalities in Australia, with his own Netflix special, sketch TV show "Orange is the New Brown"and award winning podcast "Burn your Passports". Nazeem’s comedy is about his life experiences growing up brown skinned, in a mostly white Australia.

Vegemite is an Australian icon, loved by those who grew up with it, and  hated by those that didn't. It is a salty dark yeast extract that, in small doses, is an Australian favourite. In this portrait, the Vegemite is a metaphor for cultural racism, and racism influenced humour that has been dished out by white Australians for many generations. It has always been targeted towards the indigenous, toward immigrants and most recently religious groups. Whist accepted in white Australian culture as “Larrikinism”, it is a bitter taste for those whom this comedy is directed.

Here, Nazeem uses the Vegemite as “black face” or “war make up” as he flips racist comedy on its head… poking fun at the prejudice through his own unique stand-up comedy.

Jenny RODGERSON
born 1967 Melbourne VIC
Solitary Figure (self portrait)  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

This is one of a series of self portraits I have recently completed expressing different ways I see myself.

Paul RYAN
born 1964 Auckland New Zealand
yeah the boyyyyzzz. eureka boys  2019
oil on linen
artist collection

This painting is from a new series "yeah the boys". My son Jaya told me of a recent train ride from Wollongong to Kiama. A bunch of young men boarded the train at Dapto. For the entire duration of their journey they chanted “yeah the boys”. Yeah the boys is a rallying cry for young men who maybe feel left behind in a fast changing world. A world of #metoo and falling employment in a city built on coal mining and steel making. A world of rapidly changing demographics. This is a painting about tribalism. It is also a homage to vintage adidas wear.

Nick SANTORO
born 1994 Wollongong NSW
Hotel Trieste  2019
acrylic on board
artist collection

This painting takes place in a Hotel in Northern Italy called “Residence Del Mare”.

It depicts a series of utilitarian objects, artworks, trash and figures. The relationship between them remains illusive as the hierarchy between object and figure is diminished compositionally. It attempts to generate a pictorial space painted from found imagery, composed photographs and contemporary art influences, where the viewer can construct their own narrative to investigate the coexistence of people, objects and environments.

what
born 1972 Southport QLD
Withdrawal to the forest  2018
oil on linen
artist collection

Art is a secret.