Excitement Plus

I’m delighted to share that The Ruins has been awarded Second Prize (The Tina Wentcher Award) at the Annual Awards Exhibition of the Association of Sculptors Victoria.

It is always rewarding to have work recognised by an organisation dedicated to supporting and celebrating contemporary sculpture, and I am grateful to the judges and organisers for this acknowledgement.

What makes these awards particularly rewarding is that the judging is blind and undertaken by independent judges with no affiliation to the Association. Being awarded first prize last year and second prize this year, by different judges, suggests that my work is resonating beyond a single perspective and is being recognised more broadly.

The Ruins draws on themes of memory, absence and reconstruction, using vintage photographic slides to explore how experiences are pieced together when visual recall is unavailable. The work forms part of my ongoing investigation into memory, aphantasia and the systems we use to make sense of the past.

I want to congratulate to all exhibiting artists and award recipients, and thank everyone who continues to support my practice.

Judges Comments

“This work reminds me of my own personal need to constantly archive memories only to lose them to the passage of time. The use of slides, a relic of photography, is a true nostalgic representation of moments past and the idea of sitting in the dark reflecting on them gave me strong evocative sensation. The geometric construction of the work formed a notion of structures like homes as well as what one might imagine in futuristic system of memories. The burnout images sitting still for too long are washed away by the power of the harsh light illuminating them, like the loss of memories over the decades of time. An excellent arrangement of time, place" and memories, very well conceived."

Who is Tina Wentcher?

German-born sculptor Tina Wentcher (1887–1974) was renowned for the delicacy and sensitivity of her work. Best known for her modelled portrait busts and figurative sculptures, she also produced a number of finely carved wooden works. Many of her subjects reflected the people and cultures she encountered during her extensive travels throughout Southeast Asia, an influence that remained central to her artistic practice.

Following her death, Wentcher left a bequest to the Association of Sculptors of Victoria to establish a sculpture prize for artists under 35 years of age. With the support of additional donated funds, the prize has continued for more than five decades. Around a decade ago, the Andor Meszaros Sculpture Prize was introduced, alternating annually with the Tina Wentcher Prize. The Andor Meszaros medallion, designed by Michael Meszaros, was first awarded in 2001. Together, these awards remain among the few significant sculpture prizes dedicated to emerging and younger sculptors in Australia. Donations to support the ongoing future of these prizes are welcomed and are tax deductible.

As the 2025 recipient of the Andor Meszaros Sculpture Prize, I am particularly aware of the importance of these awards in recognising and encouraging emerging sculptors. Their continued success relies on the generosity of donors who help ensure future generations of artists have the same opportunity.

References

• Association of Sculptors of Victoria (for the history of the prizes, the bequest, the alternating awards, the Michael Meszaros medallion, and donation information).

• Tina Wentcher's biography in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (for her life, career and artistic practice).