The Tweed Regional Gallery will unveil its summer program on Friday 6 December with the official opening of three exciting new exhibitions, including the prestigious Wynne Prize 2024.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ touring Wynne Prize 2024 exhibition will be showcased at the official opening event with more than 40 finalists’ works on display.
The $50,000 Wynne Prize is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and announced each year alongside the Archibald and Sulman Prizes.
It is Australia’s oldest art prize and is awarded annually for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery in oils or watercolours, or for the best example of figurative sculpture by Australian artists.
The touring exhibition includes the winning work for 2024 by Yolŋu elder and artist Djakaŋu Yunupiŋu from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory.
With 21 works by First Nations artists among the finalists, this is the first time in the history of the 127-year-old Wynne Prize that Indigenous artists have outnumbered their non-Indigenous counterparts.
Floortalk
A special Curator’s floortalk will be held before the official opening, hosted by the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ Head Curator of Australian Art Wayne Tunnicliffe, with tickets for the event to go on sale on Friday 8 November.
Tweed Regional Gallery Director Ingrid Hedgcock was excited to host this important art prize and its impressive selection of finalists for 2024.
‘We’re thrilled to host the Wynne Prize 2024 on its regional tour,’ said Ms Hedgcock. ‘The exhibition presents an impressive collection of works by diverse Australian artists and demonstrates the strength of artists currently working in genres of landscape and figurative sculpture.
‘It is definitely a must-see at the Gallery over summer and the Curator’s floortalk is an event to mark in your calendars,’ she said.
Local shows
Opening alongside the works of national artists are two exhibitions by regional artists.
Northern Rivers emerging artist Emily-Sarah Boldeman will present her first solo exhibition titled Vestiges.
Boldeman was the recipient of the Tweed Regional Gallery – Byron School of Art (BSA) 3rd Year Graduate award for 2023, awarding her with a solo exhibition in 2024.
Vestiges presents new work by Boldeman including drawings, objects and films that create a dialogue between emergence and disappearance. Her experimental practice is approached through a feminist lens and incorporates ballet, saturated with femininity, beauty and pain, as recurrent motifs.
Portraits of Love: A Mother’s Perspective by regional artist Meli Axford, explores the nuanced dynamics of love, family and her daughters’ transition to adulthood through a mother’s eyes.
Featuring vibrant paintings that capture quiet family moments, the exhibition showcases the latest in Axford’s ongoing Pool Series. Her works are framed as portraits of love through a mother’s eyes, offering an alternate perspective on portraiture and contributing to the phenomenology of the female gaze.
‘Both of the exhibitions by Boldeman and Axford will be a great complement to our exhibitions program over summer,’ Ms Hedgcock said. ‘We always look forward to sharing the work of our dedicated regional artists with our audience and particularly with travelling visitors over the summer.’
Other activities
The Gallery is presenting a variety of programs inspired by the exhibitions on display, including its annual ‘Artmaking for Everyone’ activities that are free, suitable for all ages and will run over the summer.
All three exhibitions will be officially opened to the public on Friday 6 December with Gallery doors open from 6 pm for the multi-opening event.
The Curator’s floortalk for the Wynne Prize 2024 will be held prior to the opening from 5-6pm. Bookings for both events are required via the Gallery website.
Guests are invited to enjoy a pre-drink with spectacular views from the Apex Dining balcony before the official opening commences.
Wynne Prize 2024 will be on display from Saturday 7 December until Sunday 2 February 2025.
Vestiges by Emily-Sarah Boldeman will be on display from Friday 22 November until Sunday 9 February 2025.
Portraits of Love: A Mother’s Perspective by Meli Axford will be on display from Friday 22 November until Sunday 9 February 2025.
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