Local artist Stewart Scambler was announced as the winner of the prestigious John Stringer Prize 2023, at the exhibition opening at John Curtin Gallery last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The annual event saw five artists invited to participate, with Scambler\u2019s winning artwork Yindjibarndi Country<\/em> exhibited alongside works from fellow 2023 finalists Angelina Karadada Boona, Ilona McGuire, Amy Perejuan-Capone and Corban Clause Williams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The John Stringer Prize aims to provide exposure for Western Australian artists and their work, and create new relationships between artists, collectors and industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a secret ballot at the exhibition opening, members of the Collectors Club awarded Yindjibarndi Country<\/em> the Prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scambler said the work was four years in the making and described the acknowledgement as \u201coverwhelming\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI never expected to win, I was excited just to be able to make a work like that because there are very few places where you can do such a big piece,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of the other artists\u2019 work is so strong, so I feel very privileged to be awarded this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, it means there are people who find my work valid and have an emotional response to it, that it\u2019s not just about me \u2014 and I find that important, because I think art needs to have an emotional impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born in Scotland and arriving in Australia in the 1950s, Scambler spent his early career working in an oil industry laboratory, before studying ceramics and then making it his full-time career in the 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Environmental concerns drive much of Scambler\u2019s work, with Yindjibarndi Country<\/em> a reflection of his time spent in the land surrounding Yandanyirra (the Fortescue River).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The work uses Western Australian materials such as brick clay and materials gathered during his journey in the area such as iron ore fines, dust from Scambler\u2019s vehicle and ochres given by a Yindjibarndi elder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am interested in the land and its importance both as home and driver of cultural identity,\u201d Scambler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite extensive testing, the use of local unrefined materials still produces unexpected results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI work with that uncertainty to explore how the changes in land use and population manifest themselves; I wonder if the land weeps for its people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The John Stringer Prize is named in honour of acclaimed art curator, the late John Stringer, who mentored the Collectors Club<\/a> to develop informed collecting practices in Western Australia through consistent purchasing of artworks, support for artists, and the enthusiastic promotion of contemporary WA art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exhibition is made possible by Principle Exhibition Sponsor Lendlease, and the John Curtin Gallery Navigators, with Scambler awarded $12,500 from the Collectors Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n