fifty squared art prize

2024 winners

After thoughtful deliberation, we are pleased to present our 2024 Fifty Squared Art Prize winners. Congratulations to this year's winners, and to all artists in this year's showcase.

All artworks entered exhibited to the public from the 22 June–5 July 2024.

2024 winners

FIRST PRIZE: $5000 CASH PRIZE (NON-ACQUISITIVE)

PURPURA (PRECIOUS)
BRONWYN SARGESON

Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to announce the First Prize winner as Bronwyn Sargeson for their artwork Purpura (precious)

Of this work, esteemed judge Lucy Buxton said in a statement:

“Bronwyn Sargeson’s Purpura (precious) dismantles perceptions of traditional glass-making, navigating the tension between beauty and abjection. The work functions as a detailed map of a considered process of material exploration and investigation, demonstrating a range of transformative possibilities through alchemical change. Like the human body, the outcome embodies both delicacy and strength, inviting us into an experience of intimacy as we witness exposed vulnerability. Purpura (precious) invites us to question what is organic, what is artificial, what is within our control and what is beyond it. Bronwyn’s work is a profound reflection on the fragility and power embedded in both material and human form, urging us to consider and reconsider the boundaries of beauty and resilience."

– Lucy Buxton

Congratulations to Bronwyn Sargeson, awarded the First Prize, as selected by Lucy Buxton of Footscray Community Arts.

The First Prize winner will receive a $5000 Cash Prize (non-acquisitive).

Image: Purpura (precious), Bronwyn Sargeson, Kiln-formed glass powder, 15x10x5cm.

SECOND PRIZE: $1000 CASH PRIZE (NON-ACQUISITIVE) – SUPPORTED BY LOGIART

STRENGTH IN SUFFERING
PHOEBE WILLIS

Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to announce the Second Prize winner as Phoebe Willis for their artwork Strength in Suffering.

Of this work, esteemed judge Lucy Buxton said in a statement:

“Found objects provide powerful opportunities to dissect and reassemble the threads of our societal fabric. Phoebe Willis's Strength in Suffering carefully constructs new geometric patterns out of fragmented parts, directing us to the allure of the gambling industry in Australia. Through providing windows into deception and despair, the work captures the tension between potential gain and inevitable loss. Phoebe’s collaged piece draws us into a reflection on the personal impacts of addiction and reveals the sophisticated tactics used to exploit vulnerability. Strength in Suffering unveils the hidden costs of an industry built on chance, urging a deeper consideration of the exploitative forces that shape our desires and decisions.”

– Lucy Buxton

Congratulations to Phoebe Willis, awarded the Second Prize, as selected by Lucy Buxton of Footscray Community Arts.

The Second Prize winner will receive a $1000 Cash Prize (non-acquisitive). This prize has been generously supported by Logiart.

Image: Strength in Suffering, Phoebe Willis, scratch card and found image, 12x13cm.

BSG PRIZE

RESONANT YELLOW
TEO

Selected by our curatorial team, The BSG Prize is awarded to an artist whose entry is indicative of a practice that we are excited to support, awarding them with an exhibition with us in the upcoming 2024-25 exhibition schedule.

This year we have awarded the prize to an individual that has demonstrated a fresh approach to their subject, with a piece that stood out to us amongst the curation, and playfully pushes the boundaries of traditional methods of Still Life. We are excited to see the work they will produce for their awarded exhibition.

With this, Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to present a BSG Prize to TEO for their painting Resonant Yellow.

Of this piece, Brunswick Street Gallery issued a joint statement:

‘In a genre that often lends itself to realism, TEO’s Resonant Yellow favours obfuscation to great effect. Painted in blurred fragments, the scene feels plucked straight from a hazy memory, as if the finer details are being recalled and then put to canvas before they dissipate entirely. A study of the quotidian, its muted palette encourages a nostalgia-soaked lens, and is thoughtfully composed despite its splintered assemblage. Each of us in the BSG team were drawn to this piece across the course of the Prize’s curation, and we were unanimous in our selection.

The curatorial team at BSG is looking forward to working with TEO more closely in the future.’

Congratulations to TEO, awarded a BSG Prize as selected by the Brunswick Street Gallery’s Gallery Manager Jacqui Burnes and Exhibitions Manager Alex Ramsdale with the support of the BSG curatorial team.

The BSG Prize winner will be awarded a solo exhibition at Brunswick Street Gallery in 2024-25.

Image: Resonant Yellow, TEO, Synthetic Polymer, Raw Cotton, 40x50cm.

HONOURABLE MENTION – SUPPORTED BY UNITED MEASURES

THE WAIT
MANUEL MORENO GUIRAO

Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to present an Honourable Mention to Manuel Moreno Guirao for their painting The Wait.

Congratulations to Manuel Moreno Guirao, awarded the Honourable Mention as selected by United Measures.

The Honourable Mention Prize winner will be awarded a United Measures voucher for their fine art services to the value of $500.

Image: The Wait, Manuel Moreno Guirao, oil on marine wood, 40x50cm.

HONOURABLE MENTION – SUPPORTED BY NEO FRAMES

LAST LIGHT
KELLY SQUIRES

Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to present an Honourable Mention to Kelly Squires for their painting Last Light.

Congratulations to Kelly Squires, awarded the Highly Commended Prize as selected by Neo Frames.

The Highly Commended Prize winner will be awarded a $500 voucher for services & art materials at Neo Frames.

Image: Last Light, Kelly Squires, Mixed media on birch panel, 33x33cm.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

TO BE ANNOUNCED
AS CHOSEN BY YOU!

Brunswick Street Gallery is pleased to allow our visitors to be the judge, extending the invitation to vote for their favourite artwork to win the People’s Choice Award!

The winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive an Artist’s Supplies pack from Derivan – a leading Australian company in the manufacturing of fine art materials.

Don't forget to cast your vote when you visit the exhibition!

judges

Joining our Judging Panel this year is Lucy Buxton, Exhibitions Producer at Footscray Community Arts.

Lucy is a curator, producer and artist. She is passionate about curatorial methodologies and contemporary exhibition design that elevates artist voices, builds connection and drives social change. Lucy is the Exhibitions Producer at Footscray Community Arts and is currently curating the integrated public art for the new Footscray Hospital. Lucy has facilitated arts programs with Interact Arts at the Abbotsford Convent, Colour Box Studios and Maribyrnong City Council. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) and Visual Arts (Printmaking) from Monash University, followed by a Graduate Certificate in Arts and Community Engagement at VCA. Lucy is currently working towards her Masters of Art Curatorship at the University of Melbourne. She is also a DJ across Melbourne’s electronic music scenes.

This year's Judging Panel consists of our Guest Panel member, Lucy Buxton, plus Brunswick Street Gallery's Director Sean Smith, Gallery Manager Jacqui Burnes, and Exhibitions Manager Alex Ramsdale.

FIFTY SQUARED 2024 supported by