2022 Waverley Art Prize winners announced

Waverley Council announces Tonee Messiah as the winner of this year’s Waverly Art Prize for her work Accounting for Archetypes.

Words: Adriana Borsey

Tonee Messiah, represented by Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne and Gallery 9, Sydney was named recipient of the $15,000 Open Prize at the opening exhibition at the newly restored Bondi Pavilion Gallery.

With a staggering 786 entries for this year’s prize, aimed for early to mid-career artists, Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos said, “for the past 36 years, the Art Prize has been one of the ways that Council helps recognise, nurture and award our artistic community as part of our ongoing commitment to the art.” Proceeds for the funds raised will go to support Waverley Woollahra Art School.

Messiah described her winning work as, “exploring both doubt and desire and the polarising effects of these two states…as activating forces, one to generate momentum and the other to temper and abate.” Messiah, a sessional painting lecturer at UNSW Art and Design and the National Art School, Sydney, was also a Waverly Art Prize finalist in 2019. This year she has launched a collaborative collection with Melbourne fashion label Gorman.

Notable mentions are as follows:

Receiving the highly commended award for the $15,000 Open Prize were Joel Arthur for his work Land Escape and Jake Walker for his work Number #166.
The winner of the $2,000 Mayor’s Prize was Chris Bond for the work Maldoror. A Highly commended was awarded to Peta West for her work This is Yuin Country.
Artist Liz Shreeve was the winner of the $1,500 Climate and Environment Prize sponsored by Waverley Council for Home and Hearth.
Karen Coull was named winner of the $500 Drawing Prize sponsored by Waverley Woollahra Art School for Journey to the year I became invisible.