OWEN LEONG wins the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award

Image: Owen Leong, Mudra, 2014, pigment print on archival paper

Artereal Gallery congratulates OWEN LEONG on winning the 2015 Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award. The prestigious $20,000 acquisitive award was announced last night at the Gold Coast City Gallery and was awarded to Leong for his work Mudra.

A photographic self portrait, Mudra depicts the artist holding plaster casts of his own hands in the form of mudras. In the artist's right hand he holds the karana mudra, a powerful gesture for dispelling negative energy, while in his left he holds the gyan mudra, a symbol for opening oneself to knowledge. The doubling of hands, both real and cast, suggest grasping at a symbolic and spiritual language as a form of healing. Cloaked in black, out of the artist's hooded jacket erupts black prismatic mineral that forms a mirror-mask protecting the wearer and reflecting the world back onto itself. Manganite has the healing power to let go of attachment and control, and to recognise that you are only responsible for your own actions and not for the actions of others. 

The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award is one of Australia's most important annual surveys of contemporary Australian photographic practice and is presented annually by the Gold Coast City Gallery. This year's award was judged by Natalie King, Curator, Writer and Senior Research Fellow at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne with Owen Leong's work being selected as the winner from amongst 58 finalists. Previous winners of this award in recent years include Shaun Gladwell (2014), Liam Benson and Justine Varga (2013), Eugenia Raskopoulos (2012) and Darren Sylvester (2011).

The Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award can be seen at the Gold Coast Arts Centre until 31 May 2015. 

To see a catalogue of available works by Owen Leong please click here.

OWEN LEONG // selected as a finalist in the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award 2015

Image: Owen Leong, Mudra, 2014, archival pigment print on cotton paper, 120 x 120 cm, edition of 5 + 2 AP

Artereal Gallery artist Owen Leong has been selected as a finalist in one of the most important annual surveys of contemporary Australian photographic practice, the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award 2015.

The artist has been selected for his artwork, entitled 'Mudra', which formed part of the artist's exhibition Bloodmilk which took place at Artereal Gallery in December 2014. 

Owen Leong explains his intention behind 'Mudra': A mudra is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the word mudra means seal, and is a spiritual gesture made with the hands and fingers. In this self-portrait I hold my own hands cast in the forms of mudras. In my right hand I hold the karana mudra, a powerful gesture for dispelling negative energy, while in my left I hold the gyan mudra, for opening oneself to knowledge. The doubling of hands, both real and cast, suggest grasping at a symbolic and spiritual language as a form of healing. Cloaked in black, out of my hooded jacket erupts black prismatic mineral that forms a mirror-mask protecting the wearer and reflecting the world back onto itself. Manganite has the healing power to let go of attachment and control, and to recognise that you are only responsible for your own actions and not for the actions of others.

The Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography Award exhibition takes place 28 March - 31 May 2015 at Gold Coast City Gallery and has been judged by Natalie King, (Curator, Writer and Senior Research Fellow, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne).

ARTIST TALK / LIAM BENSON AT 2014 JOSEPHINE ULRICK AND WIN SCHUBERT PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD OPENING

Liam Benson_The Opal Queen_2012_Pigment in ink on cotton rag paper_edition of 5 + 2 AP’s_146.5 x 146.5cm (Photograph: Jasmine Robertson)

Today at 4pm artist Liam Benson will be giving a talk at the 2014 Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award opening.

As joint winner of the 2013 award for his work The Opal Queen 2012, Liam Benson will be discussing his own artistic practice as well as reflecting upon his role in last years show.

Artereal Gallery would like to congratulate our represented artists; Svetlana Bailey, Sylvia Schwenk and Anne MacDonald as finalists in this years prize. The winners will be announced this evening at The Gold Coast City Gallery.