Despard Gallery is proud to share that contemporary Tasmanian artist Paul Snell has been selected as a finalist in this years Sunshine Coast National Art Prize.
Now in its nineteenth year, the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize is an acquisitive award that celebrates outstanding contemporary 2D and new media arts practices across Australia. Open to Australian artists, the award offers a prize pool of more than $35,000, with the winning artwork acquired into the Sunshine Coast Art Collection. Paul Snell’s photo-media based work Bleed #202374 will be exhibited alongside thirty-nine other finalists at the Caloundra Regional Gallery from 24 August until 13 October 2024.
The recipients of the Major prize, Highly Commended and Artist Residency will be determined by our guest judge, Julie Ewington, announced on 3 October 2024. Ewington is a renowned curator and writer with extensive experience working within the curatorial fields across Australia, including an extensive stint as Curator of Australian Art, QAGOMA.
The pause, the gap and the omission are increasingly significant in our saturated, image-driven society. Through this work the daily saturation is replaced by selective sensitisation, these pieces continue my exploration of non-representative forms and examine the possibilities of abstraction and minimalism in photomedia. These works aim to create a space for people to simply be, feel life itself, and breathe. – Paul Snell