Geelong Gallery announces finalists for prestigious $10,000 prize

GEELONG artists Glen Smith and Anita Iacovella headline the list of 28 creatives from across Australia to be shortlisted for the 2023 $10,000 Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards.

The annual Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards showcase contemporary printmaking from both established and emerging artists and details their current approaches to subject matter, genre and formal and conceptual diversity.

Geelong artist Glen Smith’s powerful artistic creation “Return to Sender” examines the role of cancel culture in present day society and aims to inspire social commentary around the upcoming Voice to Parliament.

His screen-print of a St Kilda statue of British explorer Captain James Cook is spray-painted in red colours, referencing anti-Australia Day protests in recent years that have seen the monument covered in red paint.

Mr Smith said he was overjoyed to be a finalist for one of his hometown awards.

“It feels great to be a finalist for what is a really exclusive and established prize like this one.

“I would say my piece is a bit controversial.

“Most of my artwork usually looks to investigate urban environment and I search for signifiers to display a certain social comment.

“This piece in particular is a social comment about where we are at in time with cancel culture, the Yes Vote for Indigenous people and all those sort of issues.

“It also hopes to explore the notion of us being a republic and what that means for Indigenous people.

“To take out the $10,000 prize would be amazing, it’s a huge thing for someone’s profile.

“Ultimately, I’m just really excited to see it up on the wall and to have it in this public collection.”

Geelong print maker Anita Iacovella also joins Mr Smith as a finalist for the awards.

Her piece “Cloud Frequency 2022” delves into the exploration of the environment and nature and showcases how clouds embody a sense of shifting and movement in a world constantly evolving.

Mrs Iacovella has exhibited within the Geelong and Bellarine community for close to thirty years and has won a series of national and international print awards for her artistic prowess.

The 2023 Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards finalists were decided by Geelong Gallery director and chief executive officer, Jason Smith, Geelong Gallery senior curator, Lisa Sullivan and independent curator and writer, Kirsty Grant.

Judge Lisa Sullivan said the panel were impressed with the breadth of entries for this year’s awards.

“The shortlist includes a wide range of established and emerging artists working in diverse printmaking processes from linocut, woodblock, etching and aquatint, to lithography, monotype and digital.

“Several artists extend their process, printing on fabric, glass, or a postal envelope, printing multiple images in the artist’s book format, or on the pages of a book which are then sculpted into a three-dimensional form.

“In selecting works for exhibition, the judges were also interested in works that respond to current issues: from women in politics, Covid-19 and the AUKUS deal, to cancel culture and global warming.”

The winner of the $10,000 Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards will be announced on Friday, July 28.

All shortlisted artworks will be on exhibition at the Geelong Gallery from Saturday, July 29 to Sunday, October 8, 2023.

For the full list of finalists, head to www.geelonggallery.org.au/2023-geelong-acquisitive-print-awards