Justine Varga is the winner of the 2019 Dobell Drawing Prize for her work Photogenic drawing (2018). Acclaimed Indigenous artist Tony Albert was awarded Highly Commended for his work Old Sins Cast Long Shadows. The announcement was made this evening at the National Art School by NSW Minister of the Arts, The Hon Don Harwin at the opening of the Dobell Drawing Prize #21 exhibition where the winning work will be presented alongside 57 finalist works at the National Art School Gallery until 25 May 2019.

Photo credit: Peter Morgan

Taryn Simon will show her series Contraband, first presented in 2010 in New York and subsequently exhibited in the United States, Europe, Central and East Asia, and the Middle East at Anna Schwartz Gallery from From 2 April – 18 May. This is the first time the series will be shown in Australia.
Contraband comprises 1,075 photographs taken at both the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Site and the U.S. Postal Service International Mail Facility, both located at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and functioning as liminal spaces between the U.S. and other nations. For one full working week, 24 hours per day, Simon remained on site, photographing items detained or seized from passengers and express mail entering the U.S. from abroad.

“Handbags, Louis Vuitton (disguised) (counterfeit)” [Detail] Handbags, Louis Vuitton (Counterfeit)

Contraband, 2010 Archival inkjet print 15.9 x 15.9 cm

© Taryn Simon. Courtesy Gagosian and Anna Schwartz Gallery.

Australia’s prestigious Good Design Awards has announced a new Women in Design Award to be offered as part of the 61st annual awards, for which the call for entries is now open. Good Design Australia invites submissions of the best of Australian and international design spanning 10 design disciplines including architecture, communication, digital, fashion and social impact. Entries close 28 March 2019. The Design for Sustainability Award also returns in 2019, celebrating its tenth year in recognising the highest level of sustainable design practice.

The inaugural Women in Design Award seeks to celebrate the achievements of female designers across the industry and the call for nominations will open on International Women’s Day, Friday 8 March 2019.

 
Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO, Good Design Australia says, “We are launching the Women in Design Award in response to the gender imbalance within leadership roles in the design industry. According to The American Institute of Graphic Arts, only 4-11% of US senior leadership roles in design are held by women, despite the fact that half the of the industry is female. This award seeks to recognise and celebrate women who have made significant contributions to the industry and hopes to encourage a more diverse and equal representation within the industry and leadership roles in particular within design and the creative industries.”

Image: The d’Arenberg cube at McLaren Vale