17 October 2008
Diego Bonetto awarded $60,000 Helen Lempriere Scholarship
Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts, Virginia Judge has welcomed Diego Bonetto as the winner of the 2008 Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship.
Ms Judge said the scholarship is one of Australia’s leading awards for emerging artists.
"The NSW Government is proud to support our emerging artists through this scholarship,” Ms Judge said
The $60,000 scholarship ($35,000 from the NSW Government and $25,000 from the Helen Lempriere Bequest), is one of Australia’s richest art prizes and allows the winner to take the next step in their professional development.
“Diego Bonetto’s installation piece, The cabinet, the planter and the bonsai was selected as this year’s winning entry after impressing the judges as a work which will encourage much discussion and debate,” Ms Judge said.
Photo: The Hon, Virginia Judge, MP, Dr Blair French and Diego Bonetto.
Past winners include noted artists Bronwyn Oliver, Emil Goh, Sean Cordeiro and Claire Healy.
As part of his scholarship program, Mr Bonetto intends to participate in the Unidee in residence program set up by Michelangello Pistoletto at Cittadellarte, Biella, Italy.
The 2008 selection committee (Rachel Kent – Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Aaron Seeto – Director, Asian Australian Artists Association, and Susan Norrie – leading Australian contemporary artist) said Mr Bonetto’s residency would expose him to, ‘a hothouse of ideas and debate with people from diverse parts of the world in a communal setting. It will give Bonetto a fantastic opportunity to develop his work’.
The selection committee praised the quality of the whole show and described Mr Bonetto’s winning entry as, ‘a visual synopsis of a longstanding investigation of non-indigenous plants within Australia’.
“Bonetto’s work is a barometer of our times, exploring nature, fragility, sustainability and how we integrate ourselves in the natural environment. The work is particularly apt at this point of time with what is going on ecologically, economically and politically,” the committee noted.
Perpetual’s Head of Philanthropy, David Knowles, said, “Perpetual is proud to play an important role in making sure Helen Lempriere’s legacy fosters emerging artistic talent in New South Wales.”
An exhibition of entries is on view from 16 October until the 26th October at Artspace, The Gunnery, 43-51 Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo.
For more information, contact Alexandra Bowen at Arts NSW on 92283849.
The Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship is presented by the NSW Government with the support of the Helen Lempriere Bequest, managed by Perpetual Limited, and the assistance of Artspace.
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