Arts Minister Lynne Kosky has announced a shortlist of eighteen Indigenous artists from across Victoria for the 2009 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards.

Ms Kosky highlighted the diversity of style and medium amongst the artists selected, and pointed to strong representation from both regional and urban artists.

The shortlist was selected from 111 entries by a panel of judges including Shepparton Art Gallery Director Kirsten Paisley and Janina Harding the City of Melbourne’s Indigenous Arts Program Manager.

Since its inception, the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards has helped to raise the profile of the state’s Indigenous artists, and helped previous winners and shortlisted artists on their way to international success.

Reko Rennie-Gwaybilla, winner of the 2008 Koorie Heritage Trust Acquisition Award, is now represented by the Dianne Tanzer Gallery. He is currently in Paris completing a Cite Internationale des Artes Australia Council Residency and was a finalist in the 2009 Royal Bank Scotland Emerging Artist Awards.

Wayne Quilliam, shortlisted in 2006 and 2008, has since held exhibitions in Germany, Austria, France, USA and China. Wayne was also named the 2009 NAIDOC Artist of the Year.

2009 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards Categories:

Deadly Art Award - $25,000 $20,000 in cash and professional development support to the value of $5,000, this award is to an Indigenous artist living in Victoria aged 18 and over.

Koorie Heritage Trust Acquisition Award - $7,000 Open to two and three dimension works (including multimedia). This is an acquisitive award and the work will enter Koorie Heritage Trust’s permanent collection.

Boscia Award for Photography and Digital Media - $3,000 Cash prize of $3,000. This is a non acquisitive award open to an Indigenous artist living in Victoria aged 18 years and over.

Announcement: Winners of the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards will be announced on 27 November 2009.

Exhibition: An accompanying exhibition will be open to the public from 28 November to 23 December 2009 at Boscia Galleries, Level 4, 175 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

www.bosciagalleries.com

Shortlist:

Trevor 'Turbo' Brown - Fitzroy Australian Cockatoos: Major Mitchell and Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

Megan Cadd - Doncaster East Nan, Can You Tell Me A Story...

Bindi Cole - Altona North Ajay

Vicki Couzens - Seddon Wangan Ngootyoong II

Frederick William “Billy” Doolan Jnr - Fitzroy Swamp Frog Dreaming

Gwen Garoni - Reservoir Bushfire Aftermath

Esther-Grace Hanigan - Fitzroy Pac Man Blac Man

Ben McKeown - Moonee Ponds* The Bluff (diptych)

Ben McKeown - Moonee Ponds 44 Degrees I'll Have a Long Black Please

Ben McKeown - Moonee Ponds* It's Always Sunny Over There

Brian McKinnon - Geelong Don't Hate Emancipate

Clinton Nain - Northcote Tell It Like It Is A.E.I.O.U.

Peter Waples-Crowe - West Melbourne The End of Innocence

Nicholas Boseley - Ocean Grove* Shared Ancestry (Image 3 of 3 in series)

Nicholas Boseley - Ocean Grove The Yeperenye Country

Barbara Egan - Robinvale Water Dreaming

Barbara Egan - Robinvale Flowing Water

Gayle Maddigan - Mandurang The Place of White Ochre

Sharmane Maddigan - Mandurang Black and White

Sharmane Maddigan - Mandurang* Sun Running

Irene Ridgeway - Traralgon* Just For The Record

Irene Ridgeway - Traralgon Women's Scarring

Irene Ridgeway - Traralgon Women Scarring

Ray Thomas - Portland Land Rights

Kevin Williams – Echuca Tracks of Bandhar

*These works are also in competition for the Boscia Award for Photography and Digital Media.

Image: Reko Rennie-Gwaybilla, Big Red, winner 2008 Koorie Heritage Trust Acquisition Award. Photo: © Ponch Hawkes, 2008.