Short film wins Guirguis New Art Prize

MELBOURNE artist Laresa Kosloff was announced the winner of the 2019 Guirguis New Art Prize at the Art Gallery of Ballarat on Friday, 5 April.

Kosloff’s art work, a short film made entirely from corporate advertising footage purchased online, took out the prestigious $20,000 GNAP19 prize from a short list of 16 finalists.

Her film La Perruque, French for wearing the wig, is a fictional tale of an office worker furtively trying to write a novel while at work.

Kosloff said she was absolutely delighted to receive the Guirguis Prize which is highly respected in the contemporary arts sector.

“Not only is it a tremendous honour but so helpful in a practical sense, as it will enable me to put even more resources and time into my art practice,” said Kosloff.

GNAP19 judge Melissa Keys, curator of the Buxton Contemporary Gallery in Melbourne said Laresa Kosloff’s entry reflects the sensitivity, humour and incisive intelligence she displays throughout her artistic practice.

“She created a narrative in which an office worker is secretly writing an absurd multidimensional novel in which his colleagues are the inspiration for his characters,” Ms Keys said.

Ballarat surgeon Mark Guirguis is the sponsor of the $20,000 biennial acquisitive prize.

“Now that the Prize has gained a national reputation, it emphasises the importance of contemporary art and culture to Federation University Arts Academy, the Art Gallery of Ballarat and to Ballarat,” Mr Guirguis said.