2022 ICA Winners Announced
10 October 2022
The winners of the Shepparton Art Museum’s 2022 Indigenous Ceramics Award have been announced, with Pitjantjatjara artist Anne Nginyangka Thompson and Gamilaroi artist Sean Miller taking out the top prizes.
Anne Nginyangka Thompson was awarded the Major Acquisitive Prize of $20,000 for her 2022 work Strong Family Connection by the judging panel, consisting of K/Gamilaroi artist Penny Evans, artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Senior Curator of South Eastern Aboriginal Collections at Museums Victoria Kimberley Moulton. The South-East Australian Aboriginal Artist Prize of $5,000 was awarded to Sean Miller for his 2022 work Galibaay on Country.
Anne Nginyangka Thompson is a previous ICA winner, having taken out the top prize in 2014 with her work Ngayuku Ngura, which was acquired into the SAM collection. Strong Family Connection, her entry to the 2022 ICA, is an elongated stoneware vase with several vignettes etched into its surface, reminiscent of traditional blue willow fine china patterns, and reflects Nginyangka Thompson’s deep appreciation of nature. At the close of the 2022 ICA exhibition, her winning work will be acquired into the SAM collection.
Sean Miller is a previous ICA finalist, with his work Songlines in the Sky making it into the 2016 ICA. Galibaay on Country, his entry to the 2022 ICA, is a large ceramic vessel adorned with a wooden snake, which winds its way around the neck of the vessel. The vessel features an etched chevron pattern – a common motif in Miller’s work.
Penny Evans, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Kimberley Moulton, 2022 ICA judging panel, say of the winning works:
“Anne’s work was visually, aesthetically, and technically resolved, with a remarkable complexity in its depiction of the mapping and connection to country. It held an energy that captivated each of us.
Sean’s work had presence, and the depth of the carving impressed us. As an artist, Sean is confident and has sound knowledge in materiality. The work has a playfulness to it and was a strong reflection of the iconography of his country.”
Now in its seventh iteration, the 2022 ICA attracted submissions from across Australia. The exhibition features 19 finalist works from 26 contemporary artists, representing 16 language groups.
Voting for the 2022 ICA People’s Choice Award will continue until the close of the exhibition on 4 December. Announcement of the award winner will take place soon after vote counting has been completed. The artist behind the winning work of the People’s Choice Award will be granted $1,500 in prize money.
Full list of 2022 ICA finalists
Anne Nginyangka Thompson, Pitjantjatjara (SA) – WINNER, Major Acquisitive Prize ($20,000)
Sean Miller, Gamilaroi (NSW) – WINNER, South-East Australian Aboriginal Artist Award ($5,000)
Alfred Lowe, Arrernte (NT)
Alison Milyika Carroll, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
Bankstown Koori Elders Group (NSW)
- Lorna Morgan Waka-Waka, Darumbal (QLD), Lillian Johnson Waka-Waka, Gubbi Gubbi (QLD), Gloria Peronchik Waka-Waka Gangulu (QLD), Beverley Gilmartin Wiradjuri (NSW), Victoria Woods Wiradjuri (NSW), Margaret Foat, Buandik (SA), Lola Simmons Wailwan (NSW), John Simmons (NSW)
Beth Inkamala Mbitjana, Western Aranda (NT)
Billy Bain, Darug (NSW)
Carlene Thompson, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
Debbie Taylor-Worley, Gamilaraay/Gomeroi (NSW)
Elisa Jane Carmichael, Ngugi (QLD)
Elizabeth Dunn, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
Hayley Coulthard Panangka, Western Aranda (NT)
Jock Puautjimi, Tiwi (NT)
Megan Croydon, Kuku Yalanji (QLD)
Philip Denham, Girramay (QLD)
Philomena Yeatman, Gunggandji (QLD)
Rupert Jack, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
Vivian Pingkayi Thompson, Pitjantjatjara (SA)
About the award winners:
Anne Nginyangka Thompson is an emerging artist based at Ernabella Arts in the Pukatja Community (Musgrave Ranges, South Australia). Beginning ceramics in high school, her practice has developed into a meditation on her love for nature. Nginyangka Thompson has previously exhibited in the 2014 Indigenous Ceramic Award (ICA), and was awarded the first prize, with her work being acquired into the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) Collection. Thompson also works in contemporary jewellery and resin; in 2015 her work was featured in the exhibition Jewellery Has Always Been There at the Jam Factory during Tarnanthi Festival in Adelaide.
Sean Miller is a Gamilaroi man living on Wurundjeri Country (Melbourne). He explores his Gamilaroi heritage through ceramics, woodwork, painting, and photography. For Miller, working in clay and wood creates a tangible connection to Country, where his ancestors culturally and artistically shaped the ground and carved trees for ceremony. Miller was a finalist in the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Award (ICA) and in 2020 he won the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Emerging Artist Award at the 8th Koorie Art Show. His work is held in numerous private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne and Shepparton Art Museum (SAM).
ENDS
About SAM:
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), located on Yorta Yorta Country, is one of Australia's outstanding regional art museums, showcasing our exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways and creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging space for all audiences. Artists are central to our work. Our programming is designed to be locally relevant and engage with global contemporary ideas. SAM is recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection, and our nationally significant collection of Indigenous art. As the only public art museum in Greater Shepparton and north central Victoria, our mission is to present great art in Shepparton, and to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement and economic prosperity of the region.
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