CONGRATULATIONS TO ALUMNI, STAFF AND STUDENT FINALISTS

NAS would like to congratulate all the finalists of this year’s Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes who were announced today at the Art Gallery of NSW. We are very proud of the many NAS alumni, staff and current students who are among those finalists, listed below.

NAS alumni, staff and student finalists for 2022 (20% of finalists over all three prizes)

Archibald: Ann Cape, Eliza Gosse, Fiona Lowry, Noel McKenna, Jude Rae, Jordan Richardson, Joan Ross, Wendy Sharpe, Natasha Walsh (17% of finalists)

Wynne: Dean Cross, Lucy Culliton, Geoff Harvey, Juz Kitson, Noel McKenna, Angus Nivison, Jude Rae (22% of finalists)

Sulman: Brodie Cullen, Noel McKenna, Gigi Malherbe, Rodney Pople, Leslie Rice, Wendy Sharpe, Sophie Victoria (24% of finalists)

Three NAS students are first-time finalists in the Sulman Prize: third-year Bachelor of Fine Art student Gigi Malherbe, Master of Fine Art student Sophie Victoria and Master of Fine Art student Brodie Cullen. Sophie was recently awarded the $20,000 Bird Holcomb Foundation Scholarship to undertake her MFA at NAS. Brodie was convinced to enter by his NAS painting teacher Leslie Rice (also a Sulman finalist this year), while Gigi was encouraged to enter by her parents, Robert Malherbe and Dana Rayson. Robert is a multiple Archibald/​Wynne/​Sulman finalist and is included again in this year’s Archibald Prize with a portrait of Dana.

Twenty-one-year-old Gigi said Hellfire Vacation was painted at the end of 2021: ​“The image is derived from a photograph I took of myself in a costume I had created from found fabrics and materials at Reverse Garbage. I was interested in depicting textiles and theatrical images through paint as well as using references from my Baltic background with the use of folklore imps, devils and masks.”

NAS Director and CEO Steven Alderton says, ​“We are always so thrilled to see so many members of the NAS community in these major annual prizes. I would particularly like to salute our two student finalists, seeing them take the initiative and have the confidence to put their works up for judgement. We are proud that NAS has a long history of Archibald winners, with the prize won 30 times over the past 100 years by NAS alumni or staff.”

Image: Sulman finalist NAS student Gigi Malherbe, Hellfire vacation (2021) acrylic on canvas, 152 x 122 cm