61st Fisher's Ghost Art Award Winners Revealed

At the Opening Night of the 61st Fisher’s Ghost Art Award on Friday, 3 November, Angela Tiatia was announced as the winner of the $50,000 acquisitive Open Award in the 61st Fisher’s Ghost Art Award for her video work The Dark Current (2023).

Campbelltown Mayor Dr George Greiss congratulated Angela Tiatia on winning the Open Award and thanked all the entrants for entering their works. 

“We had another great group of entries this year which made it very difficult for the judges to pick winners across each category,” Dr Greiss said.

“The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is our region’s premier art prize and continues to enjoy a growing reputation across Australia so I encourage everyone in the community to come down and see the works on display,” he said.

“I’d like to the thank all the sponsors from Campbelltown and the wider region who have once again supported the exhibition, as well as our sister city Coonamble Shire Council, who have sponsored the Traditional Award.”

ABOUT THE DARK CURRENT

In her statement about The Dark Current, Tiatia stated “this is a visual poem about loss, love and hope. I lost my mother this year. This work begins as homage to her, young and hopeful. Then into the present, confronted by fragments of our lost path, we face our biggest challenge, climate change. The future is untameable and untimed.”

Through The Dark Current Angela Tiatia explores contemporary culture, drawing attention to its relationship to representation, gender, neo-colonialism and the commodification of the body and place, often through the lenses of history and popular culture.

This year’s Fisher’s Ghost Art Award was judged by artist Savanhdary Vongpoothorn, artist Telly Tuita, and CEO of Museums and Galleries of NSW, Brett Adlington. The judges found The Dark Current to be a captivating artwork of exceptional quality.

They said the work is “all at once sensuous and mesmerising, personal and political and above all, Tiatia’s land and sea gave an eerie sense of flying over a place occupied by beings who designed spaces purposely for gatherings. Given our varying backgrounds and approaches to art, the draw of video artworks felt surprising and unexpected amongst our judging process. Tiatia’s work resonates on a deep emotional level and is a remarkable addition to the Campbelltown City Council Art Collection.”

THE WINNERS OF THE 61st FISHER’S GHOST ART AWARD

Open:

• Angela Tiatia—The Dark Current
• Nic Fern—A woman looking at men looking at women (Highly Commended)

Contemporary: 

• Todd Fuller—No use crying over ripped lace
• Jayanto Tan—The Table of Silence: The Only G.A.Y. in the Village (Highly Commended)

Traditional: 

• Simon Nicholls—The Last Civic Video Night Padstow

Macarthur Award: 

• Maryanne Wick—Cruel, Clever, Cat

Aboriginal Art Award: 

• Dennis Golding—Back Home From Home

Macability Award: 

• Jess MacNeil— Among the eternal resonance of murmur and flare — over and under and between and through — pulsed soft whispers from the future to the past
• Oliver Fontany—PG (Highly Commended)

Primary:

• Zahra Margo—Night over Fisher’s Ghost Creed
• Carly McGillicuddy—King Dog
• Rui Seneviratne—Bust

Secondary:

• Kiera Field—Traditional Wonders
• Kira Rean—Self Regulation
• Sasha Shynkarenko—The Regin of Victoria
• Felisha Wiid—Untitled

Sponsors of the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award exhibition include:

• Campbelltown City Council
• The Friends of Campbelltown Arts Centre
• The Hazlett Family and the Cameron Brae Group 
• Coonamble Shire Council
• The Liberal Party Councillors of Campbelltown City Council
• The Australian Labor Party Councillors of Campbelltown City Council
• Macarthur Disability Services
• Marsdens Law Group 
• The Rotary Club of Ingleburn
• Western Suburbs Leagues Club

The Traditional Award is sponsored by Campbelltown’s sister city, Coonamble Shire. Coonamble Shire Mayor Tim Horan applauded the efforts of all artists who entered pieces in each of the categories of the Award, adding that, “Art transcends language and touches each of us directly in a very personal way, triggering a response that ideally makes us question the basis of how we understand the world around us and the meaning and value we give to our lives. Congratulations to this year’s category winners.”

The Friends of Campbelltown Arts Centre, The Hazlett Family and Cameron Brae Group sponsored the Open Award and have been great supporters of the arts in Campbelltown for many years.

“Our Dad, David Hazlett devoted his life to giving to the Macarthur region. He was a passionate supporter of the local arts community and the Campbelltown Arts Centre. The Hazlett Family and Cameron Brae group, donate this in his honour,” his daughter, Georgina Hazlett said.

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