With just under a month left of the Jury Art Prize 2022 exhibition at The Courtyard Gallery+Studio, The Junction Co’s acting executive officer Patrycja Rosinska reflects on this year’s exceptional exhibit.
The Jury Art Prize is known as Western Australia’s most innovative art prize, providing regional and global artists with a unique platform to showcase their work, with no geographical boundaries.
The prize can be viewed in person at the gallery in Port Hedland, online through a virtual tour and in Perth’s CBD, with works, for the second year, being showcased on the big screen in Yagan Square.
The prize is a celebration of country, culture and diversity and this year’s finalists provide art lovers with an array of vibrant colour, intriguing textures and a journey through some of Australia’s most remote landscapes.
We spoke with The Junction Co’s acting executive officer Patrycja Rosinska all about this year’s incredible prize.
- What makes the Jury Art Prize so special?
The Junction Co. Team! And of course, innovation and a new approach!
The Jury Art Prize celebrates the best of regional Western Australian art and artists.
Each year The Junction Co. Team works extremely hard to create a unique and high-quality experience for the regional artists and audiences. Utilising different ways to connect viewers with the finalist artworks, geography knows no bounds in providing accessible ways audiences can connect and engage with the very best artworks from regional WA.
The Prize provides a platform for artists to tell their authentic stories of their regional WA communities to Australia and across the globe, offering a diversity of opportunity and career acknowledgement.
The exhibition is available for viewing at the Courthouse Gallery+Studio in Port Hedland as well as online via online catalogue and virtual gallery. Finalists’ artworks can also be viewed in Perth CBD, with works being projected on the digital tower at Yagan Square for more exposure.
The Junction Co. Exhibition Coordinator, Joo Tan, notes that The Jury Art Prize provides incredible opportunities for regional artists for recognition and growth regardless of what stage of their artistic career they are in.
The Prize brings an incredible calibre of art to Port Hedland, a small regional town, giving Hedland residents an opportunity to experience the best of regional art.
Valeria Scoponi, Gallery Manager, adds that The Jury Art Prize is special because it’s a competition that empowers regional artists to challenge themselves against the very best in Western Australia.
- How would you describe this year’s exhibition?
Again, the quality of artworks is simply incredible. I think that Joo describes it perfectly by saying that The Jury Art Prize 2022 has been the most exciting with work from all over regional and remote WA. Bright, bold colours, compelling subjects and fluid forms are exhibited through various mediums. Featuring 49 artists, the exhibition culminates in a broad range of views and voices, representing the creativity and diversity of regional WA.
Artworks you can enjoy on the display represent seven WA regions: Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne · Mid-West, Wheatbelt, Peel, South West, Great Southern, Goldfields-Esperance.
- The Jury Art Prize is described as the most innovative of its kind, what makes it so?
The Jury Art Prize champions the use of technology to elevate the way people interact with the exhibition. Each year The Junction Co. Team is looking at new ways to showcase regional artists and their works and connect with broader audiences, as well as surprises attendees with a format of the opening night.
In the first year of The Jury Art Prize the team was challenged by the COVID-19 restrictions and came up with an idea of drive-in exhibition, projecting finalists’ artworks in three iconic locations in Port Hedland’s West End. The event was a great success, its new format not only provided great exposure for the regional artists and their works, but also attracted new audiences and put Hedland on the map as an important and innovative arts hub.
In its second year the Team organised a 24 hour exhibition opening, offering a unique and high-quality experience to the broader public, from families with young children to shift workers.
In addition to that, the exhibition can be easily viewed online through our virtual gallery and public can vote online for their favourite artwork, The Jury Prize.
All artworks are also being screened on the Yagan Square digital tower in Perth for the duration of the exhibition.
As part of The Junction Co.’s mission to champion accessibility and inclusion, we are also providing audio descriptions for several artworks of the exhibition in the art prize this year.
The exhibition is open until the 29th of July, with voting for The Jury Art Prize closing the same day. If you would like to check out the exhibition virtually, or vote for your favourite piece visit https://thejunctionco.com.au/the-jury-art-prize-contest/
All artworks can also be viewed in Perth CBD, on the digital tower at Yagan Square, please check the website for more information.
