Reviews on Inside Out Upside Down Gallery Site
Sulman Prize 2009
After the disappointment of the Archibald and Wynn Prizes I hoped for some justification for my $10 entry fee, The Sulman was my last hope of justification. As has been usual with the Sulman for the last couple of years my hopes would be cruelly dashed.
The job of judging the Sulman must be the least rewarding and most prone to critical abuse of any judging role in Australia. The openness of the topic and the diverse views available in our society make this almost a job to run away from. This years judge put up a collection of works that seemed to mimic last years collection.
Admittedly the winner was a painting of a blurred unfocussed photograph, which might mean it is a pattern that was later fitted up with a topic. This work had no visual impact and no technical skill other than to blend colours to replicate a photographic effect that most photographers try hard to avoid. I'd sympathies with the judge but his own style of painting appears to be similar to the winner. To provide a hint of the public acceptance of the selection I again asked people if they had seen the winner most had not noticed it, but this is a little unfair as they were by that stage wanting to get away from the Archibald and Wynn exhibitions.
The topics covered by the paintings were unfortunately generally quite depressing. Perhaps this is what is getting me down about the Sulman, isn't there anything positive happening. The Sulman is getting like watching the television news, full of imagery that given the average Australian artists relative comfort is out of place and serves to make the viewer feel that things are far worse than they in fact are. If all that art can do is portray the sadness of life then it has little or no value.
author: Neil Miley