Tempe-based artist EO Gill has been announced as this year’s Create NSW & Artspace NSW Visual Arts Fellow, the latest emerging artist to be supported by the prestigious century-old award.
Minister Harwin made the announcement at the opening of an exhibition of shortlisted artists at Artspace, and EO will receive $30,000 through the Fellowship and is set to use their funding to undertake a mentorship and professional development program involving working with academics and artists across Toronto, Montreal and New York to research and develop their skills in queer video-making and expand their professional network.
“Once more Artspace has crafted a fantastic exhibition of some of the most promising emerging visual artists from across NSW and it’s clear that our artists here tonight are set for very big things,” said Minister Harwin. “EO’s work was selected by our expert panel as the standout from this very talented group and I’m excited that they will use this opportunity to learn from some of their most inspirational international peers in queer video art.”
The Fellowship is chosen by a panel of industry peers chaired by Sharni Jones, Manager of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Collection at the Australian Museum.
“This year’s finalists have indeed addressed some of the most urgent cultural and political issues of our time,” said Artspace Executive Director Alexie Glass-Kantor. “EO Gill is an artist whose multi-disciplinary work navigates intimacy and queer identity with a delicate sense of levity”
“Myself and the Artspace team congratulate EO, we are doubtless that their practice will benefit greatly from the opportunities that the Fellowship provides. We’d also like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of all of this year’s finalists and wish them the best of luck for the future success of their careers.”
Fellow shortlisted artists JD Reforma, Kieran Butler, Shireen Taweel, Marikit Santiago, Jodie Whalen, Biljana Jancic, Kai Wasikowski, Georgia Saxelby and Shivanjani Lal were present at the exhibition.
The 2018 NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship exhibition will run at Artspace Visual Arts Centre, Woolloomooloo until 16 December 2018. For more information, visit: www.artspace.org.au for details.
Image: EO Gill by Zoe Wong