Elyas Alavi has won the inaugural Artbank Prize, a new national acquisitive prize, for his painting Face to Face. The work enters the Artbank collection.
Announced in Sydney on 3 September, the prize went to Alavi from eight state and territory finalists, drawn from 742 applicants. The judges were artist Tony Albert, curator Ellie Buttrose and arts journalist Elizabeth Fortescue. Buttrose described the painting as striking for its “quiet emotional power”.
In his winning statement, Alavi said, “Being the first winner of the Artbank Prize is something I feel very honoured by. Artbank has been supporting and collecting the work of Australian artists for more than four decades, so to know that my painting will now become part of that history is something I feel very proud of. It gives me a real sense of encouragement to keep trusting the direction my work is taking, and to keep making work that feels personal, honest and meaningful.
What I really like about Artbank is that the work can continue to be seen and live in different places. I love the thought that this painting might be encountered by people I may not know, in places I may not visit. For me, that gives the work another life beyond the studio.”
Alavi was born in Afghanistan and is based in Melbourne. He works across painting, drawing, installation, performance, moving image and poetry. The finalists’ exhibition is at Artbank in Sydney until 30 October.
