Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, Dr Chris McAuliffe, said the judging panel deliberated long and hard in making their decision, and commends all finalists for the depth of their engagement with the theme of sport and the quality of their art.

“Gymnasium elegantly addresses the beauty, aspiration and ambiguities of physical prowess and achievement in sport. The video work seamlessly integrates diverse components; audio, video, choreography, costume and location. Evoking the musicals of Busby Berkeley, the Ziegfield follies and the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl. Gymnasium reflects on both the activities of athletes and our role as spectators.

“The judges were struck by the ambition and disciplined execution of this video work. It combines humour, careful research and complex orchestration of performers. The diversity of mediums in the finalist’s art---ceramics, photography, painting, sculpture, installation and video---was a significant strength of the Exhibition. While the first and second Basil Sellers Art Prizes have both been awarded to video works, this was on the basis of the inherent qualities of the pieces, and did not indicate a preference for video works”, Dr McAuliffe said.

The Basil Sellers Art Prize provides a range of awards for artists. In addition to the $100,000 prize, the finalists are in the running for the 2011 Basil Sellers Creative Fellowship, an artist-in-residency program at the National Sports Museum, and the $5,000 Yarra Trams People’s Choice award, voted on by visitors to the Exhibition.

The other 2010 finalists were: Vernon Ah Kee, Eric Bridgeman, Juan Ford, Phillip George, Ponch Hawkes, Grant Hobson, David Jolly, Richard Lewer, Noel McKenna, Glenn Morgan, David Ray, Gareth Sansom and Tony Schwensen.

The Judging Panel comprised Amy Barrett-Lennard, Director, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts; Julie Ewington, Curatorial Manager, Australian Art, Queensland Art Gallery; Layne Beachley, professional surfer and seven-times world champion; Dr Michael Brand, former Director J Paul Getty Museum; Dr Chris McAuliffe, Director, the Ian Potter Museum of Art; and Basil Sellers AM.

The Exhibition runs from 6 August to 7 November 2010.

The Ian Potter Museum of Art The University of Melbourne, Swanston Street
(between Elgin and Faraday streets), Parkville, 3010. T: 03 8344 5148 W: www.art-museum.unimelb.ed...

Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10am - 5pm: Saturday and Sunday 12 - 5pm (Free admission)

Further information: <www.sellersartprize.com.au>

Images of all works can be downloaded from:
http://www.medialinkprodu...

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Tarryn Gill and Pilar Mata Dupont
Tarryn Gill and Pilar Mata Dupont were both born in 1981 in Perth. Recent group exhibitions include The beauty of distance: songs of survival in a precarious age, Biennale of Sydney, Cockatoo Island (2010); Contemporary Australia: optimism, at the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2008); Primavera, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2008); Linden1968, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne (2008); and Girl parade, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney (2007). Solo exhibitions include From the heart of gold projects, Perth Centre for Photography (2008). Gill and Mata Dupont both completed a bachelor of arts at Curtin University of Technology in 2001. They have received grants from the Australia Council and the Department of Culture and the Arts, WA. Their works are included in the collections of Queensland Art Gallery, and the City of Perth.

Basil Sellers Art Prize
As one of Australia’s newest and richest art prizes, the Basil Sellers Art Prize breaks with tradition, developing a substantial prize that concentrates entirely on sport. Not the Archibald in a footy jumper, the prize is a fresh take on the theme, encouraging artists to boldly ask the questions, rattle our preconceptions and explore sporting culture—perhaps luring art and sports supporters from their strongly held positions on opposite sides of the ring.

The prize has been initiated and generously supported by Basil Sellers AM. Basil, a businessman and philanthropist, has made his career breathing life into ailing companies. He has fittingly been described as the turnaround king. A recognised art collector, Basil divides his time between Europe and Australia (or wherever the Sydney Swans are playing that weekend).

The Basil Sellers Art Prize is a long-term project, involving 5 biennial awards from 2008 to 2016 staged at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne, aimed at changing Australians’ perception and enjoyment of art and sport.

The prize is acquisitive.