The undeniable power of Josina Pumani’s Maralinga
Josina Pumani’s electric ceramic work Maralinga—recently recognised at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards— deftly excavates a long-hidden past.
Congratulations to Chris Bond who has won the very first BalletLab McMahon Contemporary Art Award (BMCAA).
Created in 2016 by BalletLab, the invitation-only award recognises Victorian artists who create brave and intriguing work that challenges the accepted wisdom of contemporary art.
Judged by Max Delany, director of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, the BMCAA honours artists who are continuously innovating and presenting multidisciplinary and experimental practices.
As Temperance Hall and BalletLab artistic director Phillip Adams says, “The BMCAA represents a shift away from traditional art awards by providing an opportunity for visual arts to engage with performative and interdisciplinary experimentation.”
The BMCAA winner receives a $12,000 cash prize, a four-week residency at Temperance Hall, and an exhibition that builds upon the residency.
Bond was shortlisted for the award alongside Victorian artists Lane Cormick, Eric Demetriou, Ruth O’Leary and Lisa Radford.
Art Guide visited Chris Bond at his studio last year.
The artist primarily works via installations and paintings to create fantastic narratives that play on our perceptions. Having undertaken a studio residency at Gertrude Contemporary in 2001, Bond has since exhibited widely, including shows at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Gertrude Contemporary, BLINDSIDE, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Heide Museum of Modern Art and National Gallery of Victoria.
BalletLab McMahon Contemporary Art Award Exhibition
Chris Bond
Temperance Hall
24 August – 3 September 2017