Billy Bain awarded the 11th Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize

Billy Bain has been awarded the 2022 Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize. The prize was announced last night in Sydney.

Bain is a contemporary Indigenous Australian artist of Darug descent, the traditional Aboriginal people of Greater Western Sydney. Bain won for his five terracotta sculptures of First Nations lifesavers.

Now in its 11^th year, the Macquarie Group Emerging Artist Prize supports and recognises a new generation of Australian visual artists. Artists in the early stage of their careers were invited to enter an original work – or works – that reflect the theme of the Macquarie Group Collection, The Land and Its Psyche. The Collection has been supporting emerging Australian artists for more than thirty years.

Judged by Megan Monte, Director of Ngununggula (Southern Highlands Regional Gallery), one of Bain’s sculptures, Malcolm, will join the Macquarie Group Collection and he will receive $A20,000.

Also announced last night was the winner of the Nick Waterlow OAM Highly Commended Award. The award by the art committee of the Macquarie Group Collection was given to Hannah Cooper for An hour out of Alice (landscape at 130kph), 2022. Jodi Woodward was awarded the Highly Commended Award by Megan Monte for Paperbark II, 2022.

Megan said, “The exceptional quality of the finalists’ works reflects the significant depth of talent to be found among Australia’s next generation of promising visual artists.

From an outstanding field of nominees, Bain’s work was selected as the recipient of the Prize as it skilfully encapsulates the theme of the Macquarie Group Collection, The Land and its Psyche.”

Director of the Macquarie Group Collection, Helen Burton, said:

“Congratulations to our winners. We received a record number of submissions this year and I’d like to commend everyone who entered the Prize. Thank you for sharing your unique talent.”

The works submitted by all 10 finalists are now available to view and purchase in the online exhibition.