Footscray resident Fleur Brett has represented not only Maribyrnong, but the state of Victoria, winning an interstate art prize for her work titled, ‘Yellow Torso (The Muse)’.
Brett secured the Recycled/Reused Materials Award in the annual Reimagine Art Prize, hosted by Hornsby Shire Council in New South Wales.
Her piece won her $,000 in prize money for her sculpture using recycled cardboard and clothing, in a prize which Hornsby Shire Council said challenges artists to create works in response to the crisis being faced with waste and overconsumption.
The theme for this year was ‘Crossroads of Consumption’, referring to how everyday consumption can be reduced to limit the impacts of waste and climate change.
Using her own body for inspiration, Brett said the winning piece is a part of a series of works she has created.
“This series of works are part of a solo body of work called “The Muse’, which is all about exploring the aging female body and my own body as the artist,” she said.
“It is called The Muse because artists often use either other people or themselves as a muse and the subject of their work.”
With 300 entries and 60 pieces selected Brett is feeling grateful to have made it into the show and to have won her first art prize.
“It is the first prize I have ever won in my long sculptural and arts career which has been nice to get some money and recognition,” she said.
“It’s nice to get that feedback, and I don’t do it for the money so its often about the other things.”
