PREMIER NAMES NATIONAL NEW MEDIA ART AWARD WINNER

Premier Anna Bligh today announced Peter Alwast as the winner of the inaugural Premier of Queensland’s National New Media Art Award.

Ms Bligh presented the Brisbane-based artist with the $75,000 prize at a special event at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) today.

“Peter was one of nine finalists short-listed for this prestigious national art award, the most significant prize for new media in the country,” Ms Bligh said.

“His winning entry Everything 2008 is an extraordinary three-channel video installation that explores new shifts in video based practice.

“Peter’s work interweaves elements of painting, drawing, video, 3-D modelling and digital animation, with what the judging panel described as a ‘fresh approach’.

“The judges have also highly commended the work of David Haines and Joyce Hinterding whose multimedia installation Earthstar 2008 provides a portrait of the sun that engages the senses of sight, smell and sound.”

Ms Bligh said the Premier of Queensland’s National New Media Art Award celebrated the skill and creativity of Australian artists working in challenging and innovative ways with a range of new technologies.

“This biennial, acquisitive award recognises artists working in exciting mediums such as video, digital animation and gaming, computer-based art and artificial intelligence,” she said.

“The award underpins my Government’s commitment to supporting innovation and creativity in the visual arts and specifically new media, one of the country’s most dynamic new art forms.”

Ms Bligh also presented Queensland artist Leah Barclaywith the inaugural Premier’s New Media Art Scholarship.

“This $25,000 travel and study scholarship for an emerging new media artist living and working in Queensland will nurture their creative practice in new media,” she said.

“Leah is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and her new media sound compositions draw on environmental and political themes.

“She will undertake a program of further study and professional development in South America and Canada.”

The judges for this year’s award and scholarship recipient were – Tony Ellwood, Director, Queensland Art Gallery; Dr Melinda Rackham, Executive Director, Australian Network for Art and Technology; and Liz Hughes, Executive Director, Experimenta Media Arts.

“This award is a wonderful new initiative for artists working in new media, an area strongly supported and recognised by the Gallery, especially since the opening of GoMA in 2006,” Mr Ellwood said.

The winning work will be in the Queensland’s National New Media Art Award exhibition at GoMA, from 1 November 2008 to 8 February 8 2009. On February 7, 2009, audiences in parts of regional Queensland can join finalist Adam Nash for a tour of his Seventeen unsung songs 2007 within the on-line environment of Second Life (http://secondlife.com).

Media Contact: 3224 4500 (Premier’s office) or 3237 1072 (Arts Minister’s office)