The Basil Sellers Art Prize invites artists to tackle an Australian obsession – sport. In its tenth year, the Prize offered artists the opportunity to be a part of a major exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art, the chance to win the $100,000 acquisitive prize, the $5,000 People’s Choice Award and the Basil Sellers Creative Fellowship at the National Sports Museum.
Since its inauguration, the Basil Sellers Art Prize has sought to engage with art and sport in the broadest possible sense; artists are not restricted by medium or approach. Over its ten year history, the Prize has borne witness to shifts in the cultural landscape. There is greater discourse on sport and technology, women and sport, the role of the media and increasing access and participation.
At the opening event on 22 July, the $100,000 Prize was awarded to Richard Lewer’s artwork The Theatre of Sports. A People’s Choice Award of $5,000 was awarded to Grant Hobson for his work Koonibba Roosters 1906 to 2016. Vipoo Srivilasa was awarded the Basil Sellers Creative Fellowship at the National Sports Museum at the MCG.
The fifth and final Basil Sellers Art Prize presented the work of seventeen exemplary Australian artists working across a range of mediums. Shortlisted finalists include Abdul Abdullah, Jane Brown, Kate Daw and Stewart Russell, Shaun Gladwell, Rew Hanks, Dana Harris, Grant Hobson, Richard Lewer, William Mackinnon, Laith McGregor, Fiona McMonagle, Eamon O’Toole, Trent Parke and Narelle Autio, David Ray, and Vipoo Srivilasa.
- Banner Image: Richard Lewer, The theatre of Sports, 2016, oil on canvas, 12 panels