aMBUSH Gallery, in partnership with Kambri at ANU, is proud to announce the winner of The Hero’s Journey Art Prize 2020 – Stella Evans, a 21-year-old University of Wollongong visual arts and graphic design student from Boorowa in New South Wales.
Stella’s entry, entitled ‘The Road of Hope’, was chosen by a panel of three independent judges to receive the AU$3,000 cash prize, described by judge Jaklyn Babington as “a personal story detailing her family’s grit and resilience in the face of extreme hardship this year.”
Upon hearing of her win, Stella said it was “an incredible opportunity and an experience that I’m very grateful for.”
Growing up on the family’s sheep farm in rural NSW, Stella has always known that life on the land is tough, but was still shocked by the mental, physical, emotional and financial effects of the current drought on not only her family but their entire community, and felt compelled to convey this in her artwork.
‘The Road of Hope’ depicts Stella’s father hand-feeding the sheep on their property amidst the dustbowl of a long drought, reflected in her choice of a sombre colour palette consisting mainly of shades of brown, yellow and cream, with her father’s blue shirt providing the spark of colour and hope.
Developing the piece over the course of a few weeks, Stella created the poster in Adobe Illustrator using a photograph she had taken of her father, with other elements such as the freight truck, the dried up dam and the windmill then illustrated separately and integrated thoughtfully into the scene.
The Hero’s Journey is a classic narrative arc shared by almost every story ever told: a character ventures out to get what they need, faces conflict, and ultimately triumphs over adversity.
Stella chose to recreate this timeless storyline by depicting farmers as the everyday silent heroes of our country, working day in, day out, and around the clock to put food on our tables and clothes on our back. Their trials and tribulations are many, and are not just confined to the obvious like lack of rain and financial difficulties, but rather to a lack of understanding from others – particularly those in metropolitan areas – as to the daily hardships farmers face.
Dr Erica Seccombe, also an appointed judge for the prize, described Stella’s work as “a composition [that] skilfully balances all of the formal elements together to create a resolved narrative that illustrates a heart-breaking experience with a hopeful message.”
The third judge, Oscar Capezio, said “Stella’s winning poster expressed a strong personal message of hope and admiration for her community in rural Australia and communicated it through a dynamic and visually engaging composition.”
Curated and presented by aMBUSH Gallery, the posters of the 50 finalists are currently on display in a free, online exhibition on the aMBUSH Gallery website, with the entries exploring myriad themes that have contributed to making 2020 a hero’s journey for everyone. From the Australian bushfires to COVID-19, Black Lives Matter protests, political acts of ignorance and infamy, and widespread global economic and environmental impacts, it’s all there in this unique time capsule exhibition and social experiment in one.
In November, a physical exhibition – featuring all entrants and the 50 finalists – will be held at aMBUSH Gallery (Kambri at ANU) where artworks will be printed, exhibited and sold on the artists’ behalf, with no commission taken on sales. This year’s winner, Stella Evans, will also be in attendance on opening night.
The Hero’s Journey promises to be a compelling artistic examination of how the world has responded when unprecedented historical events forced us all to be heroes.
Visit www.ambushgallery.com to view the online exhibition or for more information, and look for aMBUSH Gallery on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Featured image :
and communicated it through a dynamic and visually engaging composition.”
Curated and presented by aMBUSH Gallery, the posters of the 50 finalists are currently on display in a free, online exhibition on the aMBUSH Gallery website, with the entries exploring myriad themes that have contributed to making 2020 a hero’s journey for everyone. From the Australian bushfires to COVID-19, Black Lives Matter protests, political acts of ignorance and infamy, and widespread global economic and environmental impacts, it’s all there in this unique time capsule exhibition and social experiment in one.
In November, a physical exhibition – featuring all entrants and the 50 finalists – will be held at aMBUSH Gallery (Kambri at ANU) where artworks will be printed, exhibited and sold on the artists’ behalf, with no commission taken on sales. This year’s winner, Stella Evans, will also be in attendance on opening night.
The Hero’s Journey promises to be a compelling artistic examination of how the world has responded when unprecedented historical events forced us all to be heroes.
Visit www.ambushgallery.com to view the online exhibition or for more information, and look for aMBUSH Gallery on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Featured image : Stella Evans winner of the Hero’s Journ ey Art Prize 2020