2016 RACT Insurance Portraiture Prize winner announced

Caleb Clifford

Hamish Hall

Grandmum by Jasmin Ellis

Portrait of the Artist Grace Herbert by Liam James

The winner of the 2016 RACT Insurance Tasmanian Portraiture Prize (TPP) has been revealed, with an intimate photograph depicting the relationship between twin brothers taking out the top award.

RACT Insurance TPP judges Alasdair Doyle, Carla Fletcher and Yvette Watt crowned Caleb Clifford of South Launceston the winner for his piece, Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals.

RACT Insurance TPP judge, Melbourne based artist Carla Fletcher said she was amazed by the sophistication of 18 year-old, Caleb Clifford’s piece.

“The subject was clearly well resolved with beautiful, intimate insight and we felt it resonated as the clear winner,” Ms Fletcher said.

The runner up award went to Hamish Hall of North Hobart for his piece entitled Me with ‘stache’.

Each year entrants are invited to create a portrait of a living Tasmanian who is important to them together with a statement explaining the meaning behind their work.

RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers said the high calibre of work from around the state was something to behold.

“On behalf of RACT Insurance I would like to say how proud the organisation is to again be associated with the Tasmanian Portraiture Prize and its contribution to art and creativity in the state,” Mr Sayers said.

“As the only Tasmanian based insurance company, RACT Insurance feel privileged to support activities such as the Tasmanian Portraiture Prize and would like to acknowledge all the artists who entered this year.

“As the major sponsor of the competition, RACT Insurance also has the honour of announcing this year’s Sponsors Choice winner, Jasmin Ellis, for her outstanding pencil drawing, Grandmum.”

The Packer’s Prize, chosen by the team organising the TPP, was awarded to Liam James for his striking photograph, Portrait of the Artist Grace Herbert.

RACT Insurance encourages all Tasmanians to come along and support the state’s emerging artists at the Tasmanian Portraiture Prize exhibition at the Long Gallery in Hobart from 17 September – 1
October, the Sawtooth Gallery in Launceston from 8 October – 23 October, and the Burnie Regional Art Gallery from 29 October – 9 December 2016.

The competition, now in its ninth year, was established to foster the development of emerging Tasmanian artists and provide an opportunity for the public to appreciate their talents.

The winner of the 2016 RACT Insurance Tasmanian Portraiture Prize, Caleb Clifford will receive $5000 in prize money as well as a trip for two to the Archibald Prize exhibition in Sydney, while runner up Hamish Hall will receive $2000 to assist with studio rent.

Winners of the Sponsor’s Prize and Packers Prize will receive $500 towards their future artistic endeavours.

ARTIST STATEMENTS

WINNER – Caleb Clifford

Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals

When asked to describe the relationship I have to my twin brother, I can’t convey what I feel. He does not feel like a brother in the conventional sense, less so a friend either. It would be more accurate to say that he is some other form of me, a second body, or a reflection of a different avenue of what I could’ve been. Sometimes I find it difficult to believe he is real, instead of some illusion I’ve conjured. If he were to vanish, I would feel a deep incompleteness, as I would’ve lost half of what I am. My functionality is dependent upon the safety of two bodies; his and my own. It’s a terribly vulnerable sensation.
I have chosen to depict him as such, in this ambiguous exposure, through photography. The shoots I’ve done with him have been intimate and at times, uncomfortable. Sometimes, when I catch him in certain lights, I still can’t help but thinks he’s not actually there, and expect the light to rearrange itself into an absence of where he was standing.
The title is taken from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Tithonus.

RUNNER UP – Hamish Hall

Me with ‘stache’

The beauty of doing a self-portrait is you can paint yourself however the fuck you want. A smidge off the beak, a slightly sharper jaw line and why not chuck on a sweet ‘stache and uniform?
I guess this could be a projection of myself and the ‘man’ I’d like to be. Power, status and facial hair are part of the struggle of the modern man. And it’s a battle. It’s tough being a youngish white guy trying to make his way in the world today, right?
But in reality, it’s probably just me in a rude ‘stache.

SPONSORS CHOICE – Jasmin Ellis

Grandmum

I am 14 years old and have been drawing all my life. I particularly like drawing portraits of people and animals using coloured pencils. This is a portrait of my beautiful great grandmother, who is someone I look up to and aspire to be like when I am older. She is a very cheerful and positive person who is always welcoming and interested in the lives of her family. This drawing shows her wonderful smile, which is always warm and bright. I chose to use orange in the background represent the happiness I feel when I am with her.

PACKERS PRIZE – Liam James

Portrait of the Artist Grace Herbert

I organised to shoot Grace Herbert, successful early-career artist and arts organiser. I planned to construct an image that showed how photography “turns people into objects” (Susan Sontag in On Photography, 1977). Attempting to turn Grace into a sculpture; similar to one she had recently made.

I also wanted to apply the frameworks of her practice onto my photographic methodologies. Blending our styles and further pushing the notion that the portrait is of both sitter and artist.

I was nervous to shoot Grace. She arrived tired and crestfallen. I also think she felt the proposed image was pigeonholing her and simplifying her practice. It was one of the most difficult shoots I have ever done, I felt impotent. Afterwards I became dejected that nothing had come out, and worse that I had further upset Grace.

The next day I returned to the studio, I found the shirt I had gotten as costume laying on the floor, I draped the remnants of failure against the backdrop. Here I found what I was looking for. It wasn’t didactic or directly representational like images taken the night before; instead a non-figurative portrait created a weighty, sincere and open-ended poetic portrayal of Grace.
RACT