A young Tasmanian artist from a remote community on the north-west coast has won a prestigious $100,000 art prize for her depiction of the rugged Marrawah landscape.
28-year-old Zoe Grey’s painting titled ‘The Shape of Rock’ was chosen from a field of 35 finalists in this years Hadley’s Art Prize competition.
Grey said her work explores themes of home, connection to place and the experience of landscape.
“Winning this prize is a huge honour, a surprise and a great privilege,” she said.
“I’m interested in exploring personal relationships to place and how we engage with the environment around us.”
“This painting, ‘The Shape of Rock’, is inspired by my evolving relationship with the landscape of my home, Marrawah.”
The judges, including Tina Baum, Jane Devery and Neil Haddon, praised Grey’s “very confident work which draws you in with its rich colours and varied mark-making”.
“There is much to discover as you move around the work and different elements reveal themselves,” they said.
“It’s oceanic and energetic. The composition is well resolved and the work offers an immersion in the landscape which parallels the artist’s experience of her hometown.”
In addition to the main prize, Grey also won the $1,000 Packing Room Prize, selected by volunteers who assist with unpacking the artwork.
The Hadley’s Art Prize is awarded annually to the most outstanding portrayal of the Australian landscape.
This year’s exhibition features works by a diverse range of artists, including many early-career finalists and established names like John Olsen, Tim Storrier and David Boyd.
The exhibition is open to the public at Hadley’s Orient Hotel in Hobart until August 25th.
