2010
GLOVER PRIZE WINNER
Ian Waldron
Walach Dhaarr (Cockle Creek)
oil & acrylic on Tasmanian oak
120cm x 150cm
Ian Waldron from Cairns, Queensland has won the 2010 Glover Prize
with his work titled Walach Dhaarr (Cockle Creek). The work depicts a
Tasmanian landscape, one of the criteria for entry. He has placed totem
poles that relate to his northern aboriginal culture throughout the work.
They hover in the foreground while in the background the observer can
see Cockle Creek and the hills above. The artist has used words from
the Kurtjar language; Yuaarr (midden) and Ngkithagh (tide), which
appear in balance with their English equivalent. In creating his work on
Tasmanian Oak, Ian has drawn a considered connection between his
northern indigenous culture and the landscape of Tasmania.
Ian is the first Indigenous artist to win the Glover Prize and also the first
mainland artist to win in the seven years the competition has been held.
Speaking about his work, artist Ian Waldron said that Cockle Creek is
significant for its rich material history in the form of middens, and as the
site of positive exchange between Australian Aborigines and French
navigators in the late eighteenth century.
“Through Walach dhaarr, I have tried to demonstrate that it is important
to highlight the enduring power of connection to land, regardless of the
time that has elapsed since the physical habitation by the traditional
owners,” Ian said.
“The contemporary pole-like appearance of the trees is a reminder that
connection to the land continues in contemporary times and is not lost in
the mists of time. It is living history,” he added.
Respected artist and Trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales,
Imants Tillers, along with fellow judging panellists, Maudie Palmer OA,
and Jane Stewart, said they were impressed by the diversity and high
standard of the works submitted for consideration for the 2010 Glover
Prize.
“As Australia’s richest annual landscape art prize, the competition has
developed a well-deserved reputation for attracting diverse pieces from
well-respected artists,” Mr Tillers said.
Executive Director of the Federal Group, Ms. Julia Farrell, said as
principal sponsors of the Glover Prize, she was delighted with the
painting the judges selected as this year’s winner.