David Kary

CASULA POWERHOUSE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES JUDGING PANEL FOR 66TH BLAKE PRIZE

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC) yesterday announced their esteemed judging panel for the 66th Blake Art and the Blake Poetry Prizes, featuring Sri Lankan born contemporary artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Director of Collections, and Deputy Director of the Art Gallery of NSW Maud Page and the presenter of ABC TV’s Religion & Spirituality program Compass, Kumi Taguchi

Artists across the country have until 12 October 2020 to submit their works for consideration. Three prizes are selected by the judges for the best contemporary art work that addresses the religious or spiritual:

  • The Blake Prize is a non-acquisitive prize of $35,000
  • The Blake Emerging Artist Prize is an acquisitive prize of $6,000
  • The Blake Established Artist Residency – consisting of a residency and solo exhibition hosted by CPAC.

“We’re thrilled to welcome a panel that bring three very different perspectives to bear on the difficult task of judging this year’s Blake Prize,” said CPAC Director Craig Donarski. “We can’t wait to see how the hundreds of artists entering the competition have navigated the turbulent times of 2020 in their own explorations of belief, spirituality and non-belief.”

Entries are not restricted to works related to any faith or artistic style. All artworks entered must have a recognisable exploration of faith, spirituality, religion, belief and/or non-belief.

The Blake Prize is one of Australia’s longest-standing and most prestigious prizes. Artists exploring the wider experience of spirituality, religion and belief are encouraged to submit their works now via the CPAC website.

Since 1951, the Blake Prize has engaged artists, nationally and internationally, with ideas of spirituality and religion. The 2018 prize received 769 entries from across Australia and the world, a massive 30% increase from 2016.

The exhibition of finalists and presentation of awards will take place after Casula Powerhouse can safely reopen.

Past winners include Australian artists Tina Havelock Stevens (65th Blake Prize – Art), Since winning, Tina has presented her solo show Hasta La Bella Vista Baby with the Museum of Contemporary Art.

For further details visit the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre website.

For further information visit www.casulapowerhouse.com/booknow

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Featured image : ‘Remesh by Anna Kucera