Judges agree on winner

The winner of the 2011 City of Albany Art Prize was announced on Friday to a gathering of artists and appreciators at the Vancouver Arts Centre.

Perth artist Ron Nyisztor received the grand prize of $25,000 for his work Who is My Neighbour, a depiction of breeze blocks painted with oils on two-ply board panels.

The piece will be added to the City of Albany art collection and Nyisztor will have the opportunity to undertake up to four weeks in Albany as an artist in residence.

The two highly commended prizes of $1000 went to Tom Freeman, for his acrylic and pencil piece Boulder Found 30ft Up, and Amelda Read-Forsythe, for her oil on board work From the Ground.

John McPhee, a former curator and one of this year’s three judges, explained the difficult process of “whittling down” the 261 entries to the 30 contained in the finalists’ exhibition, before choosing the winner.

“For once, the judges agreed on the winner,” he said.

“That doesn’t always happen, but this one worked.”

Fellow judge Amy Barrett-Lennard praised the “strange dichotomy” in Nyisztor’s work and his use of materials.

“Visually, it was something that drew us in,” she said.

“It’s very successful in portraying his ideas. He’s asking us to think about how the built urban environment affects our relationship with our neighbours.”

Nyisztor, a professional artist living in Perth who has entered the prize previously, called his win “an honour and a privilege” and has modest plans for his prize money.

The finalists’ exhibition runs until May 1.

Got a story? Email liz.newell@albanyadvertiser.com