Top prize is awarded to Katy B Plummer

On November 1 2024, Campbelltown Arts Centre announced Katy B Plummer as the winner of the 62nd Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (Open Award) for her video installation and opera, Margaret and the Grey Mare.

This powerful work, which explores themes of AI, witchcraft, and intergenerational trauma, was originally commissioned by Casula Powerhouse and features music by ARIA award-winning composer Sally Whitwell. With vocal performances by Plummer, her sister Margaret Plummer (a Vienna State Opera soloist), Michael Honeyman and Sarah Jessica Carpark, Margaret and the Grey Mare creates an eerie, immersive dialogue between two historic, mythical figures.

Judged by UNSW Galleries Director José Da Silva, Blacktown Arts’ Talia Smith and last year’s winner Angela Tiatia, Plummer’s work stood out for its ambitious scope and excellent execution. The judges said: “Every aspect of this project is thoughtful and accomplished, from the cinematic storytelling to the production design, as well as the contemplative use of opera and artificial intelligence to draw connections between the past and the unknown. A sense of wonder and curiosity permeates this work; it is utterly distinctive, refreshing, and captivating.”

The $50,000 Open Award win not only celebrates Plummer’s exceptional work but also secures Margaret and the Grey Mare a permanent place in the Campbelltown City Council Art Collection. 

The 62nd Fisher’s Ghost Art Award exhibition is on at Campbelltown Arts Centre until Friday 6 December 2024.