ART ACQUISITION - PERMANENT COLLECTION HURSTVILLE MUSEUM & GALLERY - 2025

March 28, 2024 Louisa Chircop

I’m thrilled to announce the acquisition of two of my works into the permanent collection of Hurstville Museum and Gallery through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program.

The two acquisitions are mixed media works ‘In the wake of my insomnia’ and ‘Playground in my wake’ which were created in 2022 as part of my awarded artist-in-residence at Carss Park through Georges River Council and Hurstville Museum & Gallery and were exhibited as part of my solo show ‘In the wake of…’

During my residency I focused on the site of Carss Park and reflected upon my childhood home across the bay. The residency provided me with the opportunity to investigate my past, inspiring poetic evocations that explore residual experiences through the subconscious whilst simultaneously exploring elements drawing on my Maltese heritage and local connection to the South/South West of Sydney.

Feel so honoured to be part of this great collection.

Image 1: ‘In the wake of my insomnia’, watercolour and photomontage on watercolour paper, 2022

Image 2: ‘Playground in my wake’, watercolour and photomontage on watercolour paper, 2022

#contemporaryart #regionalgallery #culturalgiftsaustralia #permanentcollection #culturalgifts #artcollection #hurstvilleregionalgalleryandmuseum #louisachircop #australianmalteseartist #stgeorgeandsutherlandshire

‘Playground in my wake’, watercolour and photomontage on watercolour paper, 2022

RECIPIENT - AWARDED EXHIBITION AND ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE 2025 - 'MUZA' MALTA'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

February 6, 2024 Louisa Chircop

Looks like I’ll be jetting back to Malta early 2025! So thrilled to have been awarded a residency and solo exhibition for my proposed project investigating my Australian Maltese bicultural identity at MUZA Malta’s National Museum of Fine Arts Valletta (branded Malta’s National Community Art Museum). My proposed project, exhibition and residency will take place in the 16th Century amazing UNESCO World Heritage site courtyard and building ‘The Auberge D’Italie’ built in 1574 home to Malta’s fantastic national art collection. Super excited!! Bring on the jet lag…2024 planning starts now… Stay tuned!

#australianmalteseartist #internationalexhibition #artistinresidence #muza #artist #installation #sculpture #painting #drawing #ceramics #maltanationalmuseumoffinearts #valletta #project #biculturalidentity #surrealist #womeninthearts #HeritageMalta #maltanationalcommunityartmuseum #communityproject #australianartist #contemporaryart #art

Artist residency and exhibition space inside MUZA.

MUZA Entrance UNESCO World Heritage site ‘The Auberge d’Italie’ built in 1574 Valletta Malta.

FINALIST - ADELAIDE PERRY DRAWING PRIZE PLC SYDNEY - 2023

January 24, 2024 Louisa Chircop

A fantastic start to 2024!... So honoured to be one of the 40 incredible finalists from across Australia in the Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize at PLC Sydney…Congratulations to all finalists!

This year's judge, Emeritus Professor Sasha Grishin AM, FAHA, art historian, art critic and curator, selected a shortlist of 40 works. The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing is a $25,000 acquisitive art award among the most significant of its kind in the country. Named in honour of respected painter, printmaker and draughtswoman, Miss Adelaide Elizabeth Perry (1891-1973) who taught Visual Arts at PLC Sydney from 1930 to 1962, the Prize attracts submissions from around the country, and this year was no different.

From over 400 entries, Emeritus Professor Sasha Grishin, art historian, art critic and curator, has selected this year's Perry Prize shortlist. Just prior to the opening of the Exhibition of Finalists, Sasha Grishin will return to the Gallery to select the overall winner.

Sasha Grishin is the author of over 30 books about art, including Australian Art: A History, and wrote for The Canberra Times as art critic for fortv-five years. He has delivered guest lectures at universities, art galleries and museums throughout Australia, Asia, North America and Europe including Harvard University, the Hermitage Museum, Being Central Academy and London University. PLC Sydney has been honoured to have had his participation in this capacity.

Sasha Grishin is the author of over 30 books about art, including Australian Art: A History, and wrote for The Canberra Times as art critic for forty-five years. He has delivered guest lectures at universities, art galleries and museums throughout Australia, Asia, North America and Europe including Harvard University, the Hermitage Museum, Beijing Central Academy and London University. PLC Sydney has been honoured to have had his participation in this capacity.

The 2024 finalists are

Kim Anderson, Andrew Antoniou, Suzanne Archer, Deborah Beck, John Bokor, Julie Bradley, Kate Briscoe, Louisa Chircop, Matthew Clarke, Jo Darvall, Dana Dion, Jacqui Driver, Yvonne East, David Fairbairn, Kaye Green, Jenny Herbert-Smith, Todd Hunter, Locust Jones, Barbie Kjar, Yvonne Langshaw, Rosie Lloyd-Giblett, Marco Luccio, Paula Martin, Annabel Mason, Kerry McInnis, Noel McKenna, Tony Mighell, Alexandra Mills, Robbi Neal, Geoffrey Odgers, Catherine O'Donnell, Vicki Parish, Amanda Penrose Hart, Melinda Schawel, Jeannette Siebols, Sally Simpson, Wendy Teakel, Claire Tozer, Anna Warren and Steve Woodbury.

#perrydrawingprize #plc #drawing #nationalartprize #finalists #art #contemporarydrawing #adelaideperrydrawingprize2024 #PLCSydney

'KALOSKAGATHOS' - CURATED GROUP EXHIBITION - PRESENTED BY PALMER PROJECTS POST SPACE EXETER - 2023

January 19, 2024 Louisa Chircop

I’m pleased to announced that my work will be featured amongst a fantastic lineup of female Australian contemporary artists in the upcoming group exhibition 'KALOSKAGATHOS' curated by Diana Palmer at Post Space Exeter, and I must say, I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with her.

Post Space, Exeter presents ‘Kaloskagathos’, an exhibition bringing together works by contemporary Australian artists who explore, embrace or challenge the classical artistic tradition. Drawing inspiration from renowned works of literature, history, mythology and cultural traditions to explore the themes of feminism, motherhood, domesticity and the goddess, these artists works, in varying ways, embody the power and majesty of female sexuality whilst subverting the classical idea that promoted the supremacy of the male form.

Featuring Jedda-Daisy Cullen, Louisa Chircop, Belynda Henry, Solomon Kammer, Sophy Reynolds, Mirra Whale and Hayley West and spanning different materials and formats - painting, sculpture, installation, photography and drawing - these artists come together looking at the relics of the enduring preoccupation of greek art with the human form as well as contemporary art’s ongoing relationship with the classical past.

The term ‘Kaloskagathos’, combines two adjectives, with kalos designating outward, and agathos — inward perfection. It is an abstract concept, unreal in its varied ideals and yet a word that correlates to a system of values that represents the development of any human society, a social, ethical and aesthetic assesment criteria. In the Symposium, Plato explicitly warns against becoming fixated on the beauty of the body. Instead, he argues that the energy released by the sight of the gorgeous figure needs to be channeled to a desire for a deeper beauty – that of the soul, of the good, of the divine.

Through a series of pairings and juxtapositions, alternatively dramatic and understated, the exhibition ‘Kaloskagathos’, aims to provoke conversations between the classical traditions of femininity, beauty and power; as history provides us a record, and from it one basic, inescapable, and ultimately unconscionable truth stands out: the ideals women are asked to embody, regardless of culture or continent, have been hammered out almost exclusively by men.

essay excerpt

Diana Palmer, 2024

Please join us on us Saturday 10 February 2024 2-5pm at Post Space Exeter for the opening of KALOSKAGATHOS a group show including

View exhibition catalogue and essay here

Please contact (link) Diana Palmer Exhibition and Acquisition Consultant for artwork for enquiries

Please note Solomon Kammer's inclusion in this exhibition is courtesy of her incredible representative gallery Yavuz Gallery, Surry Hills @yavuzgallery @maxhomaei

All celebratory drinks courtesy of @merrigangs_ and @stmaurwines

#artconsultant #artconsultancv #dianapalmer #palmerproiects #postspace #exeter #southernhighlands #groupexhibition #femaleartists #women #kaloskagathos #contemporaryart #painting #ceramics #mixedmedia #australianartists

'SHADOW SANCTUARY' - DEBUT INTERNATIONAL SOLO - MARIE GALLERY5 MALTA

October 16, 2023 Louisa Chircop

Very pleased to announce I’ll be having my debut international solo exhibition ‘Shadow Sanctuary’ with the lovely Maria Galea Gallery owner and Art Advisor of Marie Gallery5 in Sliema Malta opening 3rd Nov 7.30pm. Please feel free to come along.

Maria is a passionate advocate for artists and unstoppable force in the Arts industry in Malta/Europe representing Maltese and international talent. As a Maltese Australian artist I’m super excited and proud to be working with her and looking forward to my upcoming exhibition soon.

…”Just as the the moon needs the sun to reflect light, I need the moon to cast my shadow."…

Louisa Chircop

'Shadow Sanctuary' by Louisa Chircop invites viewers on an evocative journey into the profound depths of the artist's conceptual realm. Chircop's oeuvre is a contemplative fusion of personal experiences, art history, and the intricate tapestry of psychological phenomena. Within this exhibition, each artwork serves as a portal, unlocking the enigmatic "shadows of the self," as guided by Chircop's subconscious wanderings within her inner sanctum, intimately intertwined with her Maltese Australian heritage.

Chircop's artistic inquiry transcends conventional boundaries, daring to explore the intricate facets of the human condition-pain, pleasure, guilt, and shame. Her exploration delves into an innovative interpretation of religious sexuality, an intersection where the sacred and the profane merge to construct a deeply personal tantra. This fusion is a vibrant celebration of the terrestrial, the cosmic, and the spiritual-a form of contemporary self-devotion that venerates the Earth, the universe, and spirituality. Amidst the encompassing corporeal darkness, fragments of illumination emerge, unveiling metamorphosed, reinvented, hybrid, and reborn iterations of the artist herself. This creative rebirth finds its genesis in Chircop's immigrant European lineage, rooted in the resolute traditions of medieval antiquity.

3rd - 22nd November @mariegallery5
For more information

#contemporaryart #exhibition #artreel #exhibitionposter #austrailanart #artsydney #malta #gallery #collector #internationalartist #malteseaustralianartist

FINALIST - PADDINGTON ART PRIZE 20TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION - 2023

September 14, 2023 Louisa Chircop

Couldn’t be more thrilled to be one of 53 National finalists in the 2023 Paddington Art Prize for their epic 20th Anniversary exhibition and celebrations with my work ‘Foreign Body at Pupit Rock - Bundanon’.

The Paddington Art Prize has become the preeminent Australian Landscape Prize of unsurpassed calibre due to Marlene's deliberate choosing of independent judges who each have decades of experience in and contribution toward the Australian Arts.

Each year the Prize aims to discover new talents and invigorate the art market with iconic styles that reflect Australia’s topography and “cultural ethos.” A family-run initiative, the connectedness extends to finalists and winners who become life-long members with subsequent career highlights celebrated and shared online.

The 20th Annual $30,000 Paddington Art Prize Exhibition of National Finalists for a painting inspired by the Australian Landscape will officially be opened on Thursday October 12th at Cooee Art Leven, 17 Thurlow St, Redfern NSW at 6-8pm. With exhibition continuing until the October 22nd 2023 with all works for sale both online and at the exhibition.

I would like to thank the esteemed judging panel Tracey Cooper-Lavery from the National Museum of Australia, Adj. Professor Margo Neale from the National Gallery of Australia and esteemed multi-award and Archibald Prize winning Australian artist Tony Costa for selecting my work amidst this very fine list of National Finalists.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎

7pm 𝒐𝒏 𝑶𝒄𝒕 12𝒕𝒉.

The Online Exhibition of National Finalists will be viewable on our website from Sept 22nd 2023.

✳ For all Admin & Sales Enquiries Contact info@paddingtonartprize.com.au

‘Foreign Body at Pupit Rock - Bundanon’ 2023, mixed media and photomontage on archival watercolour paper, approx 66cm x 86cm

FINALIST - HAZELHURST ART ON PAPER AWARD -2023

September 13, 2023 Louisa Chircop

So stoked to be a finalist this year amongst this stellar line up of Australian talent in one of Australia’s most significant national awards for artists working on paper!

Join us this Friday 15th Sept at 6pm for the official opening at Hazelhurst Arts Centre.

Now in its twelfth year, The biennial Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award is a significant national exhibition that aims to elevate the status of work on paper while supporting and promoting artists working with this medium.

With awards totalling $26,000 the biennial Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award showcases outstanding art created with, on or about paper. Awards include the $15,000 major award, the $5,000 Young and Early Career Artist Award, the $5,000 Friends of Hazelhurst Local Artist Award, and the $1,000 People's Choice Award. Hazelhurst's installation crew also select an artist for the Residency Award: a 4-week studio residency. The exhibition will present a diverse range of works including drawing, printmaking, collage, photography, sculpture, paper cuts and video.

This year Hazelhurst received entries from 890 artists from across Australia. Congratulations to the 82 finalists selected for the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2023. Finalists will be exhibited in the Main Gallery at Hazelhurst Arts Centre from 16 September to 12 November 2023.

This year’s judge and guest speaker is esteemed Australian artist Deborah Kelly.

Awards

Awards include the $15,000 major award, the $5,000 Young and Early Career Artist Award, the $5,000 Friends of Hazelhurst Local Artist Award, and the $1,000 People’s Choice Award. Hazelhurst’s installation crew also select an artist for the Residency Award: a 4-week studio residency in the historic Hazelhurst Cottage.

HAZELHURST ART ON PAPER AWARD 2023 FINALISTS

‘Left leg right’, mixed media and photomontage on hand painted archival pigment print on cotton rag, 167cm x 113cm, 2023 by Louisa Chircop

PUBLISHED - 170+ page Accompanying Digital Catalogue for 'In the arms of unconsciousness - Women, feminism and the surreal'

September 3, 2023 Louisa Chircop

Our 170+ page digital catalogue for our exhibition ‘In the arms of unconsciousness - Women, Feminism and the Surreal’ curated by Carrie Kibbler at Hazelhurst Arts Centre is now live on Hazelhurst Art Centre’s website! 💗 So special to have this accompanying text featuring twenty two of Australia’s significant female artists with important essays written by an incredible all female crew…Courtney Kidd, Chloe Wolifson and Kathleen Linn. With heartfelt thanks for your wonderful essays 🙏

It looks fantastic! Huge thanks to assistant curator Naomi Stewart who designed the whole catalogue and Carrie Kibbler for all her dedication and hard work.

Lovely to be mentioned in Carrie’s opening introduction with my artwork featured on the right. So thrilled!

Enjoy!

See link: https://issuu.com/hazelhurstregionalgallery/docs/in_the_arms_of_unconsciousness_digital_catalogue_i?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

The exhibition has been extended due to popular demand and continues…

Currently showing @hazelhurstartscentre as part of ‘In the arms of unconsciousness - Women, feminism and the surreal’ curated by Carrie Kibbler. A landmark first cross-generational exhibition that brings together 22 leading and significant female Australian artists together to examine feminism and the surreal until 10th September.

📸 @silversalt_photography

#digitalcatalogue #catalogue #artswriter #artessays #chloewolifson #courtneykidd #kathleenlinn #feminism #australianart #womenartists #surrealism #surreal #art #inthearmsofunconsciousness #artcollector #contemporaryart #womeninart #women #hazelhurstartscentre #hazelhurstgallery #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #malteseaustralianartist #landmarkexhibition #arttext #artbook #issuu

Review - The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum- Art Critic John McDonald

July 29, 2023 Louisa Chircop

It’s not everyday you’re reviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald’s art critic John McDonald. It’s not everyday you get a couple of mentions.

Was such a thrill to discover this great article in Saturday’s Art and Design columns The surreal deal: Art inspired by the unspeakable about our exhibition ‘In the arms of unconsciousness - Women, feminism and the surreal’ curated by Carrie Kibbler at Hazelhurst Arts Centre. Not to mention, it was a double thrill to find my artwork published on the header of the review on his website.

This landmark first cross-generational exhibition currently showcasing 22 leading and significant Australian female artists aims to look at the links between feminism and surrealism in Australian art and is on at Hazelhurst’s Art Centre until the September 3rd 2023. Read John McDonald’s review >here

COMING SOON - A LANDMARK AUSTRALIAN-FIRST CROSS-GENERATIONAL EXHIBITION AT HAZELHURST ARTS CENTRE

May 10, 2023 Louisa Chircop

I couldn’t be more excited and honoured to be curated in this Australian first-landmark cross-generational survey exhibition. ‘In the Arms of Unconsciousness: Women, Feminism and the Surreal’ curated by Carrie Kibbler (and assisted by Naomi Stewart, assistant curator) will open late June 2023 at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre. The exhibition, showcasing a stellar line up of 22 significant Australian women artists, aims to look at the links between feminism and surrealism in Australian art.

The exhibition is to be officially launched on Friday 30 June 2023 6pm in the main gallery at Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre and will continue until Sunday 3rd September 2023. The exhibition will also be complimented with a jam packed program of interviews, artist talks and other promotional events including a special feature film presenting the artists in show and accompanying digital catalogue with essays written by leading Australian arts writers.

Exhibiting Artists: Del Kathryn Barton, Vivienne Binns, Pat Brassington, Louisa Chircop, Madeleine Kelly, Deborah Kelly, Juz Kitson, Lucy O’Doherty, Caroline Rothwell, Kaylene Whiskey, Jelena Telecki, Lynda Draper, Freya Jobbins, Jenny Orchard, Jill Orr, Patricia Piccinini, Julie Rrap, Honey Long and Prue Stent, Marikit Santiago, Anne Wallace and Amanda Williams.

The exhibition will examine the waves of feminism in Australian which began in the 1970s to the early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s and how they were directly linked to the feminist art and Riot Grrrl movement in which female artists and theorists began to rethink and reclaim how the female body was represented. Artists during this period include Vivienne Binns, Jill Orr, Pat Brassington and Anne Wallace.

More recently, a younger generation of female artists are working with elements of the surreal, the psychoanalytic, the unconscious and the fantastical in their practice, with several specifically citing the influence of the surrealists in their practice. Artists include Del Kathryn Barton, Louisa Chircop, Madeline Kelly, Deborah Kelly, Juz Kitson, Lucy O’Doherty, Caroline Rothwell and Amanda Williams.

The exhibition proposes that there has been an intrinsic link between feminism and the surreal, particularly in Australia, and this current wave is most notable since 2012 in that it aligns with the fourth wave of feminism.

More news to come on this amazing exhibition!

Hazelhurst has received funding from Create NSW and Sutherland Shire Council for this project.

'Mara' Second Edition Women's Collective Exhibition - Marie Gallery5 in partnership with The Bureau Iniala Valletta Malta

March 21, 2023 Louisa Chircop

It’s official my first exhibition in Malta! So excited to have been selected as one in a handful of female artists for the second edition of ‘Mara’ curated by Maria Galea director of Marie Gallery5 and Art Advisory in partnership with The Bureau Iniala Valletta, Malta….amazing! The exhibition will feature 12 female Maltese artists and 2 female led creative studios, shedding a spotlight on their creative practices and independent artistic narratives.

Showcasing and celebrating female creatives, the second edition of Mara brings together artists and creative studios using a variety of mediums and processes to mark their individuality and independent narratives. The Bureau Iniala, together with Marie Gallery 5 has partnered up with il-lokal to expand on the idea of creativity, integrating design and art in a space dedicated to promote creative talent to its audience. This showcase will feature over 12 female artists and two creative studios, highlighting and integrating works that best represent their current practice.

Bureau iniala is not a gallery but an advisory and events space that aims to promote and support the artistic community while providing art advisory services to its members in collaboration with Marie Gallery5.

Featuring:

Thea Vella, Katie Sims, Sasha Vella, Ioulia Chante, Leanne Lewis, Gulja Holland, Kamy Aquilina, Louisa Chircop, Debbie Bonello, Sofia Kuzmenko, Aprille Zammmit, Therese Debono, Shanice Farrugia, Wioletta Kulewska, Nicole Sciberras Debono.

The opening will be held on the 14th April at 7.30 pm at Bureau Iniala, Valletta.
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For more information contact info@mariegallery5.com

Bureau Iniala & Marie Gallery5,
In partnership with il-Lokal

FINALIST - M16 ARTSPACE DRAWING PRIZE - M16 ARTSPACE - ACT

November 16, 2022 Louisa Chircop

Thrilled and honoured to be selected in this very fine list of amazing artists who are finalists in the ‘M16 Artspace Drawing Prize’ in Griffith Canberra. The show will be opened on the 1st December at the M16 Artspace in Canberra when the winner will be announced.

The drawing prize has been a staple in M16 Artspace’s exhibition Calendar since 2006. It attracts hundreds of entries from across Australia and internationally.

The M16 Drawing Prize is for drawing in either traditional drawing media and techniques, or non-traditional works that extend understanding of what drawing may be within contemporary art practice.

The judges for this year’s prize are Megan Monte, curator and inaugural Director Ngununggulla and Dr. Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Canberra-based artist, writer, curator and Curator, Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia.

All works are available for purchase online and at the opening.

See all seventeen finalists HERE

‘Sounds of Pulpit Rock - Bundanon’, 103cm x 198cm, mixed media and photomontage on watercolour paper.

UPCOMING SOLO EXHIBITION - IN THE WAKE OF - HURSTVILLE MUSEUM AND GALLERY

February 20, 2022 Louisa Chircop

Hot on the heels of my exhibition ‘Nebuchadnezzar Tree Dreaming’ currently on at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery (on until February 26th) I’m excited to announce my new upcoming exhibition ‘In the wake of…’ (opening 26th Feb) at Hurstville Museum and Gallery. This exhibition explores my time spent as artist-in-residence with Georges River Council Carss Park Cottage. The exhibition consisting of 24 works on paper and ceramics are presented as poetic evocations about my childhood looking across the bay. Please join me for an afternoon tea on Sunday 6th March at 3pm to view the exhibition. It’s a very different show to others I’ve had, with mostly bite sized works all for sale to the public. Much thanks to art curators Claire Baddeley and Renee Porter and the stellar crew at Hurstville Museum and Gallery for their care and invaluable support. You are fantastic!

ACB SELECTS - NATIONAL EMERGING ARTIST PRIZE (NEAP 2021 INAUGURAL)

February 17, 2022 Louisa Chircop

So thrilled to be selected by the one and only Amber Creswell Bell who was one of the judges from NEAP National Emerging Art Prize 2021 as one in a handful of artists from a whopping 1498 entries for the first ever annual ‘ACB Selects’ exhibition on behalf of Michael Reid Northern Beaches Gallery. Thank you Amber for showcasing my ceramic work amongst your amazing selection. I’m so honoured.

This online exhibition will go LIVE on Thursday 17th February on the National Emerging Art Prize website and will be made up of Amber Creswell Bell’s own personal painting and ceramic selections from the submissions to the 2021 National Emerging Art Prize (NEAP). All works will feature for sale.

FINALIST - ADELAIDE PERRY PRIZE FOR DRAWING 2022 - ADELAIDE PERRY GALLERY PLC SYDNEY

January 25, 2022 Louisa Chircop

It’s so lovely to start the year off with some great news!

I’m feeling very humbled and delighted to be selected as a finalist in the ‘Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing 2022’ by judge Dr Andrew Frost, art critic, lecturer and broadcaster. The shortlist of finalists represents some of Australia’s most esteemed talent and I’m so proud to be represented amongst so many incredible artistic peers.

The Adelaide Perry Gallery received over 400 entries for the 17th Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing. The annual $25,000 acquisitive prize, generously supported by PLC Sydney Parents and Friends’ Association, drew entries from across Australia and the College was delighted to have the participation and expertise of Dr Andrew Frost who created a shortlist of 46 finalists (see below) for the award. Dr Frost returns to the Gallery in February to select the overall winner.

The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing Exhibition of Finalists 2022 is open to the public, by appointment only from 26 February – 25 March.
Gallery hours 8.30 am – 4.00 pm weekdays and 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Saturdays.

To make a booking please email adelaideperrygallery@plc.nsw.edu.au

Congratulations to this year’s finalists in the Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing 2022!

THE 2022 SHORTLISTED ARTISTS ARE:

UPCOMING SOLO EXHIBITION 2022 - NEBUCHADNEZZAR TREE DREAMING - SHOALHAVEN REGIONAL GALLERY

January 18, 2022 Louisa Chircop

I’m really excited about my upcoming exhibition at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery this February which includes works on paper and ceramics. Huge thanks to the lovely curatorial team Bronwyn Coulston and Bridget Macleod at Shoalhaven Regional Gallery for their incredible support and assistance in helping me make my show such a pleasurable experience.

Artist Statement:

…”I fell in love with a tree. As ludicrous as it sounds, this was no ordinary tree. It was a tree within a tree. And as my love for it grew, so did my need to connect with its environment.

This infatuation began in 2018 when I was Artist-in-Residence at Bundanon Trust. I made a subconscious connection to this tree through Arthur Boyd’s painting: ‘Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the tree’ 1966-69. The discovery took me on a journey like Nebuchadnezzar, on a lusting experience to creatively claim everything around me without any acknowledgement of God.

The exhibition illustrates personal and universal evocations exploring power, lust, greed, pleasure, guilt and emotional, spiritual and physical deprivation and highlights my ongoing interest in hybrid dialogues between art history and psychological phenomenons.

Each work on paper is accompanied by a response in clay to further reinforce surreal and existential insights into the artists’ work and creative process”.

- Louisa Chircop 2021

Due to Covid the official public opening of the exhibition has been cancelled however a private event may be organised at a later date and bookings will be made available via a bookings link.

IMAGE: LOUISA CHIRCOP,
'NEBUCHADNEZZAR TREE DREAMING (SERIES)'
MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER, 50CM X 40CM

WINNER 'HIGHLY COMMENDED' - PADDINGTON ART PRIZE 2021

October 14, 2021 Louisa Chircop

So proud to have have won ‘Highly Commended’ in this year’s Paddington Art Prize for my work ‘Bush Embrace - Pulpit Rock Bundanon’ selected by artist/curator Julia Martin.

Big Congratulations to all the finalists and other winners, especially winner of the Paddington Art prize Sophie Cape. Thank you to the judges artist and winner of the 2017 Paddington Art Prize Tim Allen, Director and CEO of the National Art School Steve Alderton and Senior Curator at Manly Art Gallery & Museum Katherine Roberts.

Special heartfelt thanks to Marlene Antico Founder and Principal Sponsor of the Paddington Art Prize, Chris Antico, Pia Antico, Defiance Gallery other affiliated sponsors and the lovely Andrew Treloar for their generosity, kindness and support during the exhibition and award presentation. Their continual support for the arts and artists is undoubtedly treasured and valued.

The exhibition of National finalists will continue at Defiance Gallery from Friday 15 October to Sunday 24 October 2021 (11am – 5pm). See winners and finalists here

(Left to right artists) Overall Winner Sophie Cape, Louisa Chircop and Pamela Honeyfield.

Chris Antico Principal Co-Sponsor and Louisa Chircop Winner of ‘Highly Commended’ Paddington Art Prize sponsored by artist/curator Julia Martin.

FINALIST - PADDINGTON ART PRIZE 2021

September 27, 2021 Louisa Chircop

What an honour to be selected as a finalist amongst such an amazing line up of Australian artists with my work ‘Bush Embrace - Pulpit Rock Bundanon’ in this year’s Paddington Art Prize. The exhibition of national finalists will be exhibited at Defiance Gallery Paddington Sydney and the winners will be announced on Thursday 14 October 2021 with the exhibition open from the 15th October until to Sunday 24 October 2021 .

Congratulations to all the finalists! and a huge thank you to the highIy esteemed panel of judges Katherine Roberts Senior Curator at Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Tim Allen Visual Artist and Winner of the 2017 Paddington Art Prize and Steven Alderton Director and CEO of the National Art School for selecting my work. I cannot wait to see their selection.

See selected finalists here

The Paddington Art Prize is a $30,000 National acquisitive prize, awarded annually for a painting inspired by the Australian landscape. Established in 2004 by Arts Patron, Marlene Antico OAM, this National prize takes its place among the country’s most lucrative and highly coveted painting prizes.

The prize encourages the interpretation of the landscape as a significant contemporary genre, its long tradition in Australian painting as a key contributor to our national ethos, and is a positive initiative in private patronage of the arts in Australia.

Marlene Antico OAM, created the Prize in order to assist with the monetary difficulties that often impede artists from showcasing their works. As an art student, gallery owner and volunteer guide at the AGNSW for over 10 years, she has underscored her commitment to supporting contemporary Australian artists, aware, of the financial concerns that prevent many artists from devoting themselves entirely to their art practice.

In 2017, Chris Antico, Marlene’s son joined as Principal Co-sponsor of the prize. The Paddington Art Prize appreciates the ongoing generosity of the following key sponsors and supporters: Marlene Antico OAM, Chris Antico, UNSW Art & Design, The Sydney Art Store, Sofala Cottage, Charvin Oils, Lucio’s Italian Restaurant, Defiance Gallery, Nock Art Foundation, Tracey Deep Floral Sculptures, Valiant Hire and Woollahra Municipal Council.

‘Bush Embrace - Pulpit Rock Bundanon’, Mixed media and photomontage on watercolour paper, 150cm x 100cmBush Embrace is about the Australian landscape during the pandemic. The solitude and the longing for company and simple contact. Like giving a hug (something we’ve all missed). This interplay of mixed media with a subconscious painting approach exposes life and landscape at its most bittersweet. — ‘Bush Embrace - Pulpit Rock Bundanon’, Mixed media and photomontage on watercolour paper, 150cm x 100cm
**Bush Embrace** is about the Australian landscape during the pandemic. The solitude and the longing for company and simple contact. Like giving a hug (something we’ve all missed). This interplay of mixed media with a subconscious painting approach exposes life and landscape at its most bittersweet.

FINALIST - HAZELHURST ART ON PAPER AWARD 2021

September 3, 2021 Louisa Chircop

It’s so wonderful to be selected as a finalist in this years ‘Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award’ amongst some of Australia’s finest artists working in the medium of paper.

Since 2001 The Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award has been a significant national biennial exhibition that aims to elevate the status of works on paper while supporting and promoting artists working with this medium.

The Awards include the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award of $15,000; the Young and Early Career Art Award of $5,000; the Local Artist Award of $5,000 (sponsored by the Friends of Hazelhurst); the Preparator’s Residency Award and the $1,000 People’s Choice Award.

This year Hazelhurst received entries from over 700 artists from throughout Australia. The following artists were selected for the Hazelhurst Art on Paper Award 2021:

FINALIST - SPLASH McCLELLAND CONTEMPORARY WATERCOLOUR AWARD 2021 - McCLELLAND SCULPTURE PARK AND GALLERY

June 30, 2021 Louisa Chircop

So lovely to get this news during Sydney’s Covid lockdown! and so proud to be selected as a finalist in the acquisitive Splash McClelland Contemporary Watercolour Award with my work ‘A Garden of Earthly Delights-Happiness is like Glass it soon breaks’ 2017

Held at McClelland every three years, the Splash: McClelland Contemporary Watercolour Award was established to showcase Australian artists who work in the medium of watercolour. It is an acquisitive award with funds from the Fornari Bequest, by the Will of the late Lena May Fornari, and is a legacy of her support for the arts in Victoria. Lena May was an ardent collector of works by the watercolourist Herbert Rose, which she also left to McClelland, and the first acquisitions through this Bequest were significant watercolours. Continuing this tradition, Splash focuses on contemporary watercolour practice.

In 2021 this acquisitive award will be granted to three outstanding original artworks in the medium of watercolour, which will all become part of the McClelland collection. Offering three awards will allow us to more broadly support artists during this challenging time. The awards aim to promote artistic excellence, while expanding McClelland’s significant collection for the benefit of the local community as well as wider Australian and international audiences.

Three acquisitive awards of $10,000 for original works in watercolour.

The prize will be judged by Kirsty Grant, Freelance Curator and Writer; Melissa Keys, Curator,
Buxton Contemporary; and Sim Luttin, Curator and Gallery Manager, Arts Project Australia.

Prize winners will be announced at the exhibition opening event.

Awards

THE 2022 SHORTLISTED ARTISTS ARE:

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