Fleurieu Peninsula

$5000 Fleurieu Art Prize Winner Announced

By Kelly Noble

Posted on November 11, 2013

Indonesian born South Australian artist Tok Basuki has won the $5000 Water and Environment Prize with his work River Branch, as part of the 2013 Fleurieu Art Prize festival.

The Prize is presented by Flinders University and is awarded to a South Australian artist working with a water or environment sustainability theme within the major Prize entry field.

Tok’s artist statement describes the influence of light and his childhood in Java on the work:

“Trees, river and sky interconnect and are reflected in a mirror image to evoke infinity. Neon colour on chrome foil creates an illusion of changing shades of colour when viewed in different lights or from varying angles, exaggerating the reflective properties of water.”

“I celebrate the bright and intense light that shines on the Australian landscape, which dazzles me after the filtered light of the tropics with its saturated colours and hues. This work also expresses my childhood awe of the Javanese shadow theatre, where the tree of life, or ‘gunungan,’ is a mystical symbol for the universe.”

“I invite the viewer to encounter familiar elements of the scene from a different perspective, provoking a visual jolt that inspires renewed respect for the transitory character of the natural world.”

The Prize was announced as part of the festival’s ‘Sustainability Saturday’ activities at Goolwa’s Signal Point Gallery.

Other activities today included the launch of an invitational themed sculpture exhibition and talks from Flinders University, Willunga Water Basin, Alexandrina Council and several artists on the topic of water and environmental sustainability.

Basuki’s River Branch can be seen at Hardy’s Tintara cellar door in McLaren Vale until November 25, alongside the major $60,000 Prize winning piece Alone With You by New South Wales artist Fiona Lowry.

Lowry’s win was announced at the Prize Festival opening night on October 26.

All works shortlisted for the major prize, as well as the Water and Environment Prize, remain on display at cellar doors and galleries throughout McLaren Vale, Strathalbyn and Goolwa.

For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Anna Bartsch on 0407 320 903

Tok Basuki wins $5000 Art Prize on ‘Sustainable Saturday’

9 November 2013

The following components form part of the dynamic 2013 Fleurieu Art Prize program:

Main Prize

The $60,000 (non-acquisitive) Fleurieu Art Prize is the world’s richest landscape painting prize and this year has been awarded to New South Wales artist Fiona Lowry for her work Alone With You.

The shortlist of 120 works will be on display throughout McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula for the duration of the Prize festival, until November 25.

2013 judges were Nigel Hurst, visiting from London’s Saatchi Gallery, renowned Queensland artist Michael Zavros and Erica Green, Director of the Samstag Museum of Art.

Exhibiting venues include Hardy’s Tintara, Chapel Hill and Kay Brothers cellar doors, Stump Hill, Stationmasters Gallery at Strathalbyn and Stump Hill Gallery. Anyone visiting the exhibitions will also be able to vote for a $2,500 People’s Choice winner, which will be announced on December 9.

‘Fleurieu Landscapes’ exhibitions

A diverse group of artists from the Fleurieu region and broader South Australia have been invited to contribute works that explore the idea of ‘place’ within the local landscapes of McLaren Vale and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The works are on show in two separate exhibitions. One collection is housed at Adelaide Airport, running until November 24. Works are displayed throughout the Level 2 Centre Concourse, giving visitors and local travellers a sample of what can be seen 40 minutes south of Adelaide.

The second collection is on display at Penny’s Hill Winery for the duration of the festival.

The exhibitions, proudly presented by the Klein Family Foundation, showcase a dynamic combination of contemporary, modern and realist styles, in mediums including photography, painting, printmaking and drawing. Participating artists include David Dridan, Paul Sloan, Jimmy Dodd, Jim Thalassoudis, Alice Blanch, Daniel Connell, Mark Kimber, Thom Buchanan, Will Nolan and Yvonne East, plus local artists John Lacey, Cheryl Anne Brown, Jen Wright and Gail Kellett.

Water and Environment Prize

South Australian artists working with a water or environmental sustainability theme entering the main Fleurieu Art Prize were also considered for the Water and Environment Prize.

This non-acquisitive prize is valued at $5,000 and is presented by Flinders University. The 37 finalist artworks will mostly be exhibited at the South Coast Regional Art Centre at Goolwa, however those also included in the Main Prize shortlist are exhibited with the main finalist venues.

‘Fleurieu Sculpt 13’ sustainability themed sculpture exhibition

Twenty invited South Australian artists, working in various mediums, will explore the themes of water, environment and sustainability in an exhibition at Goolwa’s Signal Point Gallery.

Artists will be working with conceptual ideas relating to water and sustainability, working with sustainable materials or practices, or reflecting and interpreting the natural landscape and resources.

The exhibition runs for the duration of the Prize festival from 26 October until 25 November, with the official launch today.

Youth Commission for sculpture, Songs for Tounji by Madison Bycroft
Presented in association with the Helpmann Academy and Wirra Wirra Vineyards, this $4,000 commission

offers a South Australian artist, aged 27 years or under, the opportunity to create large scale sculpture(s).

This year’s commissioned artist is Madison Bycroft. Her work is installed on the grounds at Wirra Wirra Vineyards for the festival.

The Fleurieu Art Prize thanks and acknowledges its generous donors, sponsors and suppliers.

Platinum donor: The James and Diana Ramsay Foundation
Donors: Lang Foundation, KMR Wood, Klein Family Foundation, Mrs Pam Yule, Dr MG & JM Hayes, Pam & David McKee, Jabica Pty Ltd
Sponsors: Flinders University, Wirra Wirra Vineyards, Chapel Hill Winery, Penny’s Hill Winery, d’Arenberg Winery, Willunga Basin Water Company
Suppliers / supporters/ partner venues: Adelaide Airport, Kay Brothers, Hardy’s Tintara, BDO, Bank SA, Singapore Airlines, Mercedes Benz, Macquarie
Government partners: Events SA, City of Onkaparinga and Alexandrina Council
Industry partners: Helpmann Academy and Feast Festival