Sam Bloor takes out Rockingham Art Prize with Cosmic Horror photograph

Sam Bloor has claimed the major award for most outstanding work at this year’s Rockingham Art Prize with his piece Cosmic Horror.

Judges found that Mr Bloor’s photograph provided a public commentary on the Australian Ugliness “hijacking existing structures to draw our attention to dominant narratives of paradise and the latent histories of disparity that exist beneath the surface”.

Five people shared in a $19,500 prize pool after more than 420 entries were received from artists around WA which were whittled into five award categories including first prize for most outstanding work, small sculpture, first nations, local residents and emerging artist.

Adam Hisham Ismail took out the Small Sculpture Award with Night Swimming #2, Night Swimming Series which was described as “a playful celebration of a dystopian subterranean world … highly skilled and deeply detailed, combining a strong sense of humour and narrative”.

The First Nations Artist Award was won by Greg Barr for his acrylic and Balga resin work titled Pop’s One, which the judges noted was “an honest and confident work that evokes a strong sense of journey and Country”.

The Local Resident Award went to Jeanette Rein for her work Intertwined Relationships, a small sculpture hand carved from Albany woolly bush, which “celebrates the interconnectedness and fragility of relationships between people, place and time”.

The Emerging Artist Award was won by Sam Hopkins for his stainless steel sculpture titled Collapse, which “demonstrates material ambition and confidence in approach. It is a highly skilled exploration of precarity, chaos and their tensions”.

The judging panel included creative producer and cultural planner Michelle Broun, contemporary WA artist Paul Kaptein, and director of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts Hannah Mathews.

Works by 81 finalists will be displayed at The Rockingham Arts Centre until June 30.

Visitors can vote for the $500 People’s Choice Award winner which could net a $200 Voter’s Prize. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on July 5.

City of Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin praised the quality of the entries: “On behalf of the City I would like to congratulate the winners for their outstanding creativity and skill, and all of the participating artists who created a piece for the 2024 City of Rockingham Art Prize.”

“The City of Rockingham supports arts and culture because it contributes to the overall wellbeing of our community, enriches the local experience and provides opportunities for artists to exhibit their work.

“We are grateful to our Art Prize curator Sandra Murray and the judging panel for their expertise, and for the ongoing support of our sponsor, Artsource.”

The exhibition is open until Sunday June 30, with free admission and parking.

For more information on the Art Prize visit rockingham.wa.gov.au/artprize. A virtual tour of the exhibition is also available.