Congratulations to both Hyun-Hee Lee and Owen Leong, both of whom are finalists in the 2016 Sunshine Coast Art Prize at Caloundra Regional Art Gallery.
The Sunshine Coast Art Prize finalists will be showcased in an exhibition that will include some of Australia’s leading contemporary artists. This year’s Prize offers a major prize of $25,000 plus an artist residency, with the winning work also being acquired by the Sunshine Coast Art Collection.
Owen Leong has been selected as a finalist for his photographic work Aura, whilst Hyun-Hee Lee has been selected for her work Infinity.
The winner of the Prize will be announced on 1 September at Caloundra Regional Art Gallery.
Hyun-Hee Lee, Infinity, 2015, ink, pencil, silk thread, hand embroidered on hanji paper, 95 x 95 cm
“Infinity pursues the notion that life is a circle; what happens today can be traced to something that happened in the past. In Buddhism this is known as Karma which evokes the spiritual principle of cause and effect, where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). I was inspired in this work by personal experience which enabled me to understand the enduring value of love on a spiritual level. I’ve written and hand embroidered, in my own personal script, onto three layered sheets of Hanji paper dyed with ink. The thread lines I use in my work continue the repetitive act and imply infinity and a connection to the life cycle.”
Hyun-Hee Lee
Artist Statement, 2016
Owen Leong’s photographic self portrait Aura visualises the human circulatory system as an external shadow. This work is inspired by A.J. Defehrt’s 18th century engraving of the blood circulatory system, which has been cut from the soft black leather pelt of an animal. The act of hand cutting leather traces the passage of blood as it circles the body. The webbed veins of the circulatory system are then draped over my body like a second skin. A surgical stainless steel device holds my mouth open, which symbolically silences while opening up the body as a passive receptacle. This device suggests medicalisation of the body, hierarchies of classification and power. Aura attempts to make visible the transmission of social, cultural and political forces across the body.
Owen Leong
Artist Statement, 2014
Owen Leong, Aura, 2014, archival pigment print on cotton paper, 120 x 90cm, edition of 5 + 2 AP