Justine Varga is the winner of the 2019 Dobell Drawing Prize for her work Photogenic drawing (2018). Acclaimed Indigenous artist Tony Albert was awarded Highly Commended for his work Old Sins Cast Long Shadows. The announcement was made recently at the National Art School by NSW Minister of the Arts, The Hon Don Harwin at the opening of the Dobell Drawing Prize #21 exhibition where the winning work will be presented alongside 57 finalist works at the National Art School Gallery until 25 May 2019.
Steven Alderton, Director of the National Art School said, “The Dobell Drawing Prize has always inspired the question, ‘What is a drawing?’ and this year’s Prize offers an exciting range of artists’ responses: from ambitious, large-scale works using complex materials to intimate and agile drawings.
We see works of exceptional technical skill in charcoal and pencil, as well as drawings realised through photography, animation, textile, sculpture and performance. It is perhaps this breadth of possibility that defines contemporary drawing and gives the Dobell Drawing Prize its enduring appeal.”
Justine Varga’s winning work challenges the distinction between photography and drawing. The negative from which Photogenic drawing has been derived was drawn on and daubed with pigment during its long exposure. In Photogenic drawing, Varga considers photography as drawing with light and this print is an example of a drawing practice that is at once physical and chemical, autobiographical and contingent, painterly and photographic.
Tony Albert’s Highly Commended work Old Sins Cast Long Shadows 2018, ink on archival paper, considers the history and framework of representing First Nations peoples globally. The work depicts the silhouette of a single figure made up of the many inaccurate and harmful representation of First Nations peoples throughout history, challenging the reductive representation that has obscured the serious issues that have plagued First Nations communities for years and led to the creation of warped stereotypes that make it easier to ignore ongoing oppression.
Alderton commented, “The Dobell Drawing Prize 2019 is the first iteration of the Prize at the National Art School and the twenty-first in its rich history. It received a record 788 entries from across the country, the most number of entries the Prize has ever received. NAS is delighted to partner with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation to present this important biannual event centred on contemporary drawing, especially within the context of the Festival of Drawing at National Art School.”
The national biennial Prize celebrates innovation, technical skills and diverse media alongside a campus-wide Festival of Drawing at the National Art School that includes a program of talks, tours, exhibitions and workshops.
The exhibition of all the finalists in this year’s Dobell drawing prize competition goes at the National Art School until the 25th May, 2019. The exhibition hours are between 11am and 5pm Mondays to Saturdays.
Featured pic- Justine Varga with her winning entry.