The Grafton Regional Gallery presents the 2020 Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award (JADA), the Gallery’s flagship biennial art prize sponsored by the Friends of Grafton Gallery.
Peter McKay, Curatorial Manager of Australian Art at Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art was invited to judge the finalists and select the winner. Peter also recommended works to acquire for the Gallery collection of contemporary drawing.
The winning artwork was announced at a special online opening on Friday October 2 hosted by Gallery Director, Niomi Sands and media personality Rove McManus. It was with great excitement that Teo Treloar’s work titled This is Impermanence was announced as the winner.
Teo’s work is a graphite pencil drawing that reflects on multiple ideas, including his own experience with depression and anxiety, contemporary concepts of masculinity, the master engravings of Albrecht Durer, and the existential literature of Franz Kafka. The drawings featured in the work are intended to present a speculative visual platform for viewers to engage with; allowing them to deconstruct the image and find meaning on their own terms. Teo’s drawing is a manifestation of these experiences and ideas.
Sands said “The JADA celebrates drawing in all its forms, from the expressive and the abstract, to hyper-realism that is beyond belief. The winning work evokes a poetic and emotional response to our environment and the human condition. It is an outstanding artwork and a valuable addition to the Gallery collection. Many of the finalists selected, question and challenge the notion of the traditional drawing, while others provide a contemporary perspective that reinvigorate those traditions, we are thrilled that the tradition of excellence continues with the 56 artists selected for the exhibition which celebrates Australian contemporary drawing at its finest”.
Peter McKay also recommended two works to be acquired to the Gallery collection of contemporary drawing, which are:
- Sarah Tomasetti’s work titled Kailash North Face IV, 2019. The work pays homage to the pilgrimage route at the base of the most sacred of peaks on the Tibetan Plateau.
- Noel McKenna’s work titled Hamlet, 2020. This work is about a French bulldog from Noel’s neighborhood.
The JADA exhibition will be on display at the Grafton Regional Gallery until 22 November 2020. The gallery will be open seven days a week excluding public holidays during this period from 10am to 3pm. Entry to the gallery is by donation.
