Woodford artist wins Moreton Bay Region’s top art prize

The winners of the 2021 Moreton Bay Region Art Prize have been revealed, coinciding with the official opening of the new Pine Rivers Art Gallery.

Now exclusively for local artists, Mayor Peter Flannery says the prize is a fantastic way to showcase the new-look gallery and celebrate the creativity of the region.

“Through the isolation of COVID it has been the arts that’s brought us together, brought us joy and even brought hope,” he says.

“This year’s winners have all explored very topical issues - our sense of identity, the fragility of the environment and the personal impacts of the global pandemic.”

Go behind the scenes as the gallery prepares to open in our slideshow below

Contemporary Aboriginal artist BJ Murphy’s the original was awarded first prize of $5000, with $5000 shared between second, third and the people’s choice prize recipients.

Second prize was awarded to Sarah Field, for Michele behind her mask, while Jayda Bruce was awarded third prize for Chaos.

“BJ’s work ‘the original’ is striking for its use of light and contrast,” Mayor Flannery says.

“It’s a powerful image that is both an enigmatic self-portrait and a lush landscape.”

Mayor Flannery says investing in the arts is more important than ever, with the industry one of the hardest hit by COVID-19 closures.

“Moreton Bay Region’s three art galleries at Caboolture, Redcliffe and Pine Rivers are a key part our community, which is why we have invested $7 million across the past three financial years upgrading them to a state-of-the-art quality,” he says.

See the exhibition being set up in our gallery below

“Pine Rivers Art Gallery has a particular reverence in the art world, as the original host of the inaugural Moreton Bay Region Art Award some 27 years ago.

“I have been blown away by the calibre of creativity here and encourage both locals and visitors from outside our area to come and check out the new space while it’s adorned with the best of the best from our region – you won’t be disappointed.”

The winning works will be on display in the new Pine Rivers Art Gallery until April 24.

The Gallery is at 130-134 Gympie Rd, Strathpine and is open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm.

Read more local arts news here.