She’s made this year’s shortlist, but Maree Clarke already knows what it takes to win the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards.
A former awards judge, the Yarraville artist has taken her place among the 35 shortlisted artists vying for a share of $50,000 in prizes, including the $30,000 Deadly Art Award.
The finalists hail from across the state and practise a range of art, from traditional basket weaving and multimedia to sculpture and photography.
A former senior curator of the Koorie Heritage Trust, Clarke said her selected work,
Born of the Land, was designed to represent her relationship with the land.
“We are all born of the land and we will go back to the land,” she said. “This work is also about mourning and loss.”
The winners of the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards will be announced on August 23, with an exhibition of shortlisted works at the Art Gallery of Ballarat from August 23 to October 5. Clarke’s work will be part of the
North South East West exhibition at fortyfive downstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, from August 5-16.
More details: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
