Mosman Youth Art Prize Winners

Winners of the 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize were revealed at the exhibition’s opening night at Mosman Art Gallery on Friday 10 May.

One of the most coveted and longest running art awards for young people aged 12-21, more than 300 submissions were received from across NSW and interstate, with 208 works selected for exhibition and 20 prizes awarded to talented young artists.

Acclaimed Sydney-based multi-disciplinary artist Liam Benson judged this year’s entries. Benson said he found judging the Prize a great honour and was struck by the depth, boldness and emotion within the collection. “The entries of this year’s prize remind me that the next generation is already thinking about the world we all must navigate, whilst using their artist voices to express their experience with great empathy and compassion,” he said.

Prizes were awarded in the categories of Junior (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years), Tertiary (18-21 years), and for encouragement.

Covenant Christian School student Gloria Han was awarded first prize in the Junior category for her work titled The island. The small acrylic on canvas painting showcases the 14-year old artist’s impressive use of colour and brush technique.

First prize in the Senior category was awarded to 16-year old Dulwich Hill High School student Marium El-hajj for an oil on canvas painting titled Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes: Child of war. The moving self-portrait, which portrays a school girl displaying wounds on her body and face, forces the viewer to look beyond their own personal experiences to consider the effects of trauma.

First prize in the Tertiary category went to 19-year old University of NSW student James Baldwin of Glenquarry for his mixed media installation incorporating photography, collage and ceramics. Titled Repaired legacies, the work looks at the horrors of war and the impact it has on family histories and memories.

The 2019 Prize offered cash prizes totalling over $7,000, and art scholarships, materials and additional prizes valued over $5,000, through the support of local businesses and organisations including Audi Mosman, the Ken Done Gallery, Fourth Village Providore, The Julian Ashton Art School and The Rotary Club of Mosman. Through the continued support of the Australian Watercolour Institute, Mosman Art Society / Art Smart and the Friends of Mosman Art Gallery, the Gallery was once again able to offer additional prizes for Encouragement Awards.

Since it began in 1988, the Mosman Youth Art Prize has achieved a national profile and offers young people a rare opportunity to exhibit their work in a public gallery. It generates a leading showcase of emerging young talent, and has launched the careers of many successful artists such as 2018 winner and Archibald Prize finalist Natasha Walsh, sculptor Alex Seton and interdisciplinary artist JD Reforma. This year’s exhibition features works in a variety of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking and video.

The 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize exhibition is on until Sunday 9 June.

For the full list of winners visit mosmanartgallery.org.au

Pictured: 2019 Mosman Youth Art Prize, First place – Senior category (15-17 years), Mariam El-hajj with Put yourself in somebody else’s shoes: Child of war.