The 12th of February was an intensely exciting time for the 80 finalists and the three judges participating in the prestigious 64th Blake Art Prize. Established in the 1950’s the Blake Art Prize, named after artist William Blake was created to evoke emotion and conversation around the subject of spirituality and religion.
Committed to contemporary art practices as well as reflecting and embracing cultural diversity, the Blake Art Award has inspired discussions of deep personal meaning from artists and observers alike.
The 64th Blake Art Prize Winner on the 12th February was Mumbai-born Yardena Kurulkar.
Photo Courtesy of Casula Power House Museum
“Kenosis”
In Christian theology, kenosis is the ‘self-emptying’ of one’s own will and becoming entirely receptive to God’s divine will.
Yardena commented on her work, a terracotta replica of her own heart, made with the help of a 3D printer “The heart is the first organ to develop in a foetus. I use water to portray the passage of time and also as an agent of purging…This work is an attempt to capture the erosion, resurrection and elusiveness of human life.”
I was completely blown away by how vivid the piece was. It actually shocked me how strongly I connected with it.
The winner (Yardena) won $35,000 for 1st prize.
Damien Shen won the acquisitive $6000 prize for his work On the fabric of the Ngarrindjeri body.
Photo Courtesy of Casula Power House Museum
While Robert Hague won the inaugural Blake Residency Program for his work The Messenger and will have a one-month residency at CPAC and additionally a solo exhibition in 2018 in the blake exhibition program.
The Blake Art Exhibition is presented free of charge from 13 February-24 April 2016 at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.
http://casulapowerhouse.com for more information
– Renee Wardle
Our Workshop Specialist, Renee Wardle, is in the works for publishing her first novel. A “Hermione Granger” at heart she is constantly learning about people, places and things.
