Congratulations to Duncan Currie, winner of the 2020 ANU Drawing Prize with his piece, ‘The Cave.’

“This triptych seems like a perfect metaphor for these troubled times. The composition is reminiscent of the 19th century mezzotints of John Martin and the small scale offers a sense of the intimacy that is missing from our current socially-distanced lives.”

Guest judge, Dr Sarina Noordhuis-Fairfax, Curator Australian Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Australia, noted about her selected work.

Duncan Currie is currently in his First Year of a Bachelor of Design. As this year’s Winner, Duncan will receive a cash prize of $1,000AUD. Duncan says, “The Cave is a triptych of charcoal drawings. Each one no larger than a postcard, they tell the story of a journey into the unknown depths of the Earth. The work aims to create a sense of awe at the incredibly complex cave systems lying beneath us that we are unaware of as we walk on the surface.”

Congratulations also to the thirteen finalists; (in alphabetical order) Shiara Astle, Zoe Bilston, Izaak Bink, Mark S Cam, Wendy Dawes, Elissa Jackson, Janet Jeffs, Chin-Jie Melodie Liu, Hen Miller, Siobhan O’Connor, Emily April O’Neill and Josh Ophel. Images of all finalists are available in the document below.

Don’t forget to vote in the inaugural Drawing Prize People’s Choice Award, have you say and pick your favourite here! The winner will receive a 12-month membership with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), kindly donated by the NGA.

Please visit our Instagram Page to see a feature post featuring each finalist with images of their work and their artist statement.

The ANU Drawing Prize began in 2008 and annually invites eligible School of Art & Design Students to submit a drawing for short-listing by academic staff. This year, the Prize was held entirely online with students given the opportunity to submit up to three images of a single work to best represent their work digitally.