12/06/2010

The selection of finalists for the Churchie presented a difficult task in picking a winner – the quality of the finalists was high and represented a variety of approaches, media and concepts. I was familiar with some of the artists, but what I thought I was going to see when I read the list of finalists was often different to what direction they have actually taken, and what they had submitted for the churchie. As a group of finalists it’s representative of what’s going on, but as a judge I’m presented with an edited selection out of the 650 entries, so there’s a lot unknown to me. Nevertheless the works that stood out for me were those that had both intriguing concepts and were well executed. There  is some really good work here, the winners are very strong, and there were another 4 or 5 contenders…

WINNER: Kelly Hussey-Smith’s video work Caged has a simple but effective conceptual premise, as well as a very affecting emotional impact as it records time-lapse sequences of animals in zoo and museum captivity. Looking at her work one can’t help but project human feelings on to these animals, be they bears, orang-utans or even fish. I was drawn immediately to the work and was very pleased to award it the 2010 Churchie.

JUDGE’S COMMENDATIONS: Making a decision for a winner always involves a short list and there were a number of pieces on my list that were very strong.

Stephen Russell’s Stroboscopic Totem is a kinetic sculpture of spinning words: YOU ARE MY BLIND SPOT that pop out as a strobe light illuminates the piece. I am fascinated by artist’s use of text and this work was one of the most intriguing sculptures I have seen for some time.

Karen Black’s painting Glory is one of a number of works in the show with a theme of nature. I think Black’s painting is one of the best in the selection too, and Glory’s loose but resolved brush work kept me coming back to it.

Chris Howlett’s Metropolis: Part I – III uses the Sim City game engine to create a machinima that depicts a city under constant threat of destruction from earthquake, fire and meteorite strike. I was taken with the music in the work and the interaction of the simulated people with their environment.