THE National Portrait Gallery has gone for two prizes in this year’s Macquarie Digital Portraiture Awards, it has announced by the director of the Macquarie Group Collection, Helen Burton.
Still from the digital portrait ‘Untitled’ by Isabelle de Kleine
The professional development cash prize for entrants aged 18 and over has been awarded to Ilya Milstein from Victoria for his work “The Wandering Jew,” while the winner of the professional development residency, for entrants aged 18 to 30, is Isabelle de Kleine, also from Victoria, for her work “Untitled”.
Milstein will receive $10,000 from the gallery, made possible through the support of the Macquarie Group Foundation and de Kleine will undertake a multifaceted professional development program at The Edge in the State Library of Queensland, one of Australia’s leading centres for the development of contemporary art across digital technologies, valued at $15,000.
Still from the digital portrait ‘The Wandering Jew’ by Ilya Milstein
NPG senior curator Christopher Chapman said, “Ilya Milstein’s portrayal is dreamlike in its complexity, taut and suspenseful…Isabelle de Kleine has created a cool and enigmatic portrait with sci-fi overtones. Both winning portraits convey strong psychological intensity.’”
The other finalists were Joel Burrows and Tina Havelock Stevens from NSW, Devika Bilimoria from Victoria and Jacobus Capone from Wa. Their digital works, together with those by the winners, forms the Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award exhibition.
Judges for the awards were Dr Chapman, curator of photography at the NGA Anne O’Hehir, contemporary artist Nell and the gallery’s director of access and learning, Karen Vickery.
In 2015, the scope of the award was expanded, with entries to those over the age of 30 years. This saw a 50 per cent increase in the number of eligible entries received, with 96 of 160 of those who registered to enter aged over 30.
The Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award 2015 will be at the National Portrait Gallery until April 25 next year.
The post ‘Strong psychological intensity’ in digital portraits appeared first on Canberra CityNews.