Past Winners
2022 Winners
Theme: Metamorphosis. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19)
St John of God Health Care Prize Winner $25,000 acquisitive.
CLAIRE BEAUSEIN (WA) Chalice, wild silkworm cocoons stitched together with silk thread, museum insect pins, on cotton rag paper.
Claire Beausein: “As with a moth’s chrysalis, Chalice holds and shrouds the miracle of transformation.” Judges comments: “The shimmering luminous quality of the work had an immediate impact on all three judges. Exquisitely made, Chalice floats off the background, shimmering with golden, dappled light and shadow, inviting us to imagine, to lay aside old ways of being and sources of authority, and to imagine new futures.”
Highly Commended sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, $5,000 non-acquisitive.
SUSAN ROUX (WA) Terre Verte, photographic paper, PET thread, body thread, aluminium.
Susan Roux: “Adrift in rivers that divide and bind lands, I chart a home anew. “Judges comments: “The green heart of her work suggests a future filled with life, if we allow ourselves the time to step aside (like Moses to the burning bush) and perceive it.”
Highly Commended sponsored by the Anglican Archdiocese of Perth $5,000 non-acquisitive.
ANGELA STEWART (WA) The Rider, oil on cibachrome archival photographic paper.
Angela Stewart’s work suggests details of a narrative, slippages of a forensic trail that may or may not lead to a portrayal. The Rider is a tribute to her son. Judges comments: “The feeling of grief and loss is palpable, and captures the unstoppability of teh prophetic voice – the Divine voice – arising in unexpected places, disturbing and comforting, undeniable.”
Patricia Toohey Painting Prize sponsored by Mercy Community Services $5,000 non-acquisitive.
MICHAEL IWANOFF (WA) fromlittlethings, acrylic, mineral sands, ash, grass tree resin, copper, water, linen, seeds on wood and cotton duck.
Michael Iwanoff: “A poetic meditation on the transformative seed each of us is able to sow into our awareness, experience and life.” Judges comments: “The sense of movement and transformation acts on microscopic and cosmic levels. The inclusion of symbols of ritual embrace humanity’s commune with the transcendent – be it the Divine Other, or traditions deep and wide – and also draws us forward.”
2020/1 Winners
Theme: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah: Chapter 6, Verse 8)
St John of God Health Care Prize Winner $25,000 acquisitive.
BRITT MIKKELSEN (WA) 8200 Souls, found object, resin, LED lighting.
The draped figure is pierced with 8200 holes, with each hole representing every person who sleeps rough in Australia each night. Mikkelsen said, “this unsettling figure represents the homeless crisis, but the work is also a self-portrait of humility. It asks us to be less judgemental, empasise with others and to love everyone regardless of their situation.” Judges said the works was beautifully resolved and restrained, relating strongly to the theme of the exhibition as well as being a compelling and well made artwork.
Highly Commended sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth $5,000 non-acquisitive.
BERIC HENDERSON (NSW) The Message, ink and acrylic on canvas.
Beric Henderson: “The spirit-like figure of nature – empowered by a heart of fire – delivering the message of the prophet in words embedded subtly in the background. I was surrounded by fire in 2019 in Port Macquarie, and this painting is a plea for man to respect both the earth and one another.” Judges said the combination of simplicity and complexity in the works made it stand out.
Highly Commended sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of Perth $5,000 non-acquisitive.
ELISA MARKES-YOUNG (WA) The Golden Rule, found tablecloth, hand-embroidered with Polish proverb and folk symbols for hospitality, kindness and love, hand-made lace.
The text is an old Polish proverb meaning ‘guest in the house means God in the house.’ Elisa Markes-Young: “It tells us to open our homes to many different people, to tolerate and accept different ways of thinking and acting.” Judges comments: “A celebration of everyday rituals elegantly communicated through this exquisitely crafted work in a familial interpretation of Micah’s imperative.”
Patricia Toohey Painting Prize sponsored by the Uniting Church in the City $5,000 non-acquisitive.
JOHN TESCHENDORFF (WA) History of Ideas Series CXXVI: Invisible Cities 5…to do Justice (Nusa Penida/Guantanamo Bay), diptych, graphite, acrylic, gold leaf, wax.
Links two infamous homeland security installations in Indonesia and America. “Emerging out of two densely layered fields of subdued colour are two powerful diagonals which anticipate coming together in a yet-to-be imagined future.” Judges comments: “A wonderfully realised work which conveys the failings and contradictions of humanity and its forms of justice.”
