NEW EXHIBITION AT DEVONPORT REGIONAL GALLERY RACT INSURANCE TASMANIAN PORTRAITURE PRIZE

WINNER: Alasdair Doyle, A World Apart, Not A World Away oil on canvas

24 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER
OPENING Friday 23 OCTOBER, 6 pm

The RACT Tasmanian Portraiture Prize featuring the award-winning work of Tasmania’s best emerging artists will open at the Devonport Regional Gallery (DRG) on Friday 23rd of October at 6pm and will be on display until the 22nd of November 2015.

Now in its eighth year, the youth portrait prize is for artists aged 30 and under, serving to highlight the work of young and emerging Tasmanian artists working in a variety of media. The 2015 judges Barbie Kjar, Cameron McRae, and Jarrod Rawlins were faced with a tough task in finalising their decision.

This year’s winner is West Hobart’s Alasdair Doyle for his piece, A World Apart, Not A World Away. The video work centres on the 2014-2015 Tasmanian State Budget in which $16 million was allocated for tourism marketing to help increase the number of visitors to the State. In contrast, the budget committed $125,000 to boost “Skilled and Business Migration.” The title references the slogan of a former Tourism Tasmania campaign and serves to highlight the discrepancies between hopeful tourism and reality. The 2015 TPP runner-up was a tie between Celine Lee (Launceston) for Warhead and Eliza Freeman (Wynyard) for My Father at Mt Roland Summit, Sept 2014.

Managing Director of Clemenger Tasmania, Matt Fishburn, said: ‘Supporting the Tasmanian Portraiture Prize brings us great reward because of its determination of creativity and passion’….. ‘to take a risk and to express yourself creatively through a visual idea is no easy task. Every artist here has our respect and our thanks.”

RACT Insurance and the Devonport Regional Gallery encourage all Tasmanians to come along and support the State’s emerging artists at the TPP exhibition from 24 October – 22 November. You are invited to cast your vote for the People’s Choice online at: taspp.com.au/vote/

Education and Public Programs will be conducted throughout the exhibition.
Ellie Ray, Director.