Linden New Art has announced the winners of the 34th Postcard Show. This year’s edition of the Postcard Show features more than 1,000 entries by artists from around Australia, in every medium imaginable – from paintings to ceramics, drawings, photography, textiles, sculptures, found assemblages, and more.
The fourteen prizes awarded reflect the diversity and democratic nature of the Postcard Show.
The Linden New Art Board First Nations Award of $1,000 cash went to Georgia Anne. A proud Central and Eastern Arrernte woman, Georgia Anne is a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Naarm. Her work blends traditional and contemporary styles, exploring themes of identity, self-determination, and decolonisation. With a practice rooted in slow, intentional hand-making and the use of natural, locally sourced materials, Georgia challenges the commodification of Aboriginal identity.
The Henry Abstract Award, also a $1,000 cash, supported by an anonymous donor was awarded to Nigel Higgins with Gertrude Pinks for his three paintings which showcase a vibrant and textured exploration of form and colour. Higgins employs layers of Gertrude pinks and tones to create a captivating abstract composition. Known for his ability to balance movement and harmony, Higgins’ work invites viewers to immerse themselves in the interplay of colour and texture.
The Geoffrey Conaghan and Mathew Erbs Tertiary Award of $1,000 cash went to Zoe Barber for her trio of small oil paintings in the style of Dutch old master Pieter Bruegel. Inspired by Bruegel’s storytelling, Barber uses rich colours and bold brushstrokes to evoke movement on an intimate scale.
Alannah Rosenbrock won the $1,000 cash Rotary Port Phillip Portrait Award with Self Portrait. The oil on canvas work portrays a figure with striking red bobbed hair and a calm expression, set against a luminous green background. The subject’s attire – a dark blazer adorned with pins, a turquoise shirt, and silver chains – adds layers of personality and intrigue. Inspired by the techniques of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Rosenbrock brings meticulous detail and a vivid palette to this compelling portrait.
The two Abstract Encouragement Awards of $500 cash went to Phil Suter for Vic Parade Retro; and Kylie Atkinson for The day the tide went out. Suter’s acrylic painting features geometric forms and sharp angles in shades of blue. A partially visible rainbow and soft, cloud-like forms create a dynamic backdrop, while three vibrant paper birds in orange, pink, and green add a whimsical touch. Atkinson’s digital print portrays a serene coastal scene through intricate patterns of dense, thin-lined shapes, including dots, spirals, and dash-like forms. Both works highlight the artists’ distinctive styles and their ability to evoke movement and texture through abstraction.
Also, a $1,000 cash prize, the Sculpture Award was presented to Amanda Freestone for Nothing Good Can Grow Here. The ceramic sculpture is crafted from earthenware clay with glaze and oxides, resembling a cluster of human fingers. The piece is intricately detailed with green and brown tones, combining striking realism with an abstract sensibility.
Amber Easton, a Boon Wurrung artist, won the Sculpture Encouragement Award, a $200 cash prize for Marngrook, a spherical sculpture made from possum skin and waxed linen thread.
The Searle x Waldron Architecture Domestic Space Award of $500 cash went to Nina Ross for I put my son in front of TV so I could paint this. This acrylic on canvas text work juxtaposes domestic life with artistic practice, inviting reflection on motherhood and creative time.
The Searle x Waldron Architecture Urban Space Award also $500 cash, went to Ruth Hellema for Stark, a photograph printed on photographic paper. The image captures the geometric pattern of a light grey concrete building exterior, with rectangular recesses and a burgundy-coloured awning casting shadows, evoking a sense of urban minimalism and architectural form.
The Frames Now Work on Paper Award went to Jane O’Neill for Flight to Melbourne III. The digital archival pigment print on hemp features a mosaic-like pattern composed of numerous small squares and two circles.
The four Nina Taylor MP Birthday Card Awards of $500 cash each, went to Zoe Sernack for Where I Dream; Julia Leontyev for Place to Be; Hyunju Kim for Your Time; and Tiziana Borghese for The Majestic Ngargee Tree (Corroboree) St. Kilda.
Sernack’s acrylic on board piece evokes a dreamlike landscape with abstract, textured forms. Leontyev’s watercolour and marker work features a surreal celestial landscape, while Kim’s etching and aquatint depict a mystical scene with a hand cradling a goblet filled with plants and ethereal figures. Borghese’s digital collage presents a large tree reaching for a bright sky, blending natural and abstract elements.
The Fitzroy St Traders Awards were awarded to Kirsten Bresciani for Light At The End Of The Tunnel; and Melika Davies for There she is… Bresciani’s photogravure presents a black-and-white alleyway framing a seascape through a golden-hued archway. Davies’ mixed-media assemblage features a porcelain figure in a flowing blue dress, crowned with a rabbit’s head, blending whimsy and surrealism.
The Acland St Traders Award went to Danny Kneebone for Rabbit Hole Reflections; and Owen Hammond for Operculum. Kneebone’s sepia-toned mixed-media piece, set within a circular wooden frame, portrays a figure in ornate attire falling amidst a swirl of vintage objects. Hammond’s intricately crafted assemblage sculpture combines wood, metal, and ceramic elements to create a vessel-like structure.
An open-entry art prize, the Linden Postcard Show supports living Australian artists by providing a platform to present and sell their work, as well as acknowledging their wonderfully diverse and inspiring practices. Over the years the exhibition has been a steppingstone for many emerging artists to have their work seen and recognised, leading to future opportunities.
The Linden Postcard Show continues at Linden New Art, 26 Acland Street, St Kilda, until 2 February 2025. For more information, visit: www.lindenarts.org for details.
Images: Georgia Anne, Bare Coil Vessel #1 (supplied); Amanda Freestone, Nothing Good Can Grow Here (supplied); and Alannah Rosenbrock, Self Portrait (supplied) | Phil Suter, Vic Parade Retro (supplied) | Ruth Hellema, Stark (supplied) | Danny Kneebone, Rabbit Hole Reflections (supplied)