Deakin Art Gallery announces $10,000 Small Sculpture Award winner

Ellis was last night announced as the winner of the annual $10,000 prize as Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO officially opened the Small Sculpture Award exhibition at the Deakin University Art Gallery in Burwood.

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, the Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award recognises small scale sculpture, with entries limited to 70cm in size in any direction.

Deakin Art Gallery Senior Manager Leanne Willis said Ellis' work "captivated" her and her fellow judges, who included renowned artist and sculptor Louise Weaver; as well as Professor Ted Snell, Chief Cultural Officer and Director of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at the University of Western Australia.

"The work was beautifully resolved and crafted," Ms Willis said.

"Ellis' sculpture is a seductive object with a sense of mystery or strangeness, where experimental materials have been refined to articulate the artist’s ideas in a commanding way."

Ms Willis congratulated Ellis on her selection, and praised the way in which the artist encouraged the viewer to think beyond the work itself, demonstrating the power of small sculpture as an art form.

"Ellis' sculpture has an inherent sense of melancholy and ambiguity which creates a feeling of magic, inferring a deep understanding of art history combined with an appreciation and exploration of contemporary art," she said.

"The viewer is challenged to consider the value we place on animals, as we are encouraged to look beyond the surface to the structures that are hidden underneath and consider their meaning."

Untitled. Poodle Paw 2019 was initially modelled in a high grade modelling clay by hand, then cast in beeswax to achieve a translucent wax effect. The artist then hand-pressed silk thread spirals into the surface of the wax, and hand sewed fur tufts to complete the piece.

Ellis said her work demonstrated how a "suffocating" coiffed exterior could often belie a deeper inner world.

"Under their coats poodles are dogs, descendants of the wolf – they’re wild creatures, manicured for an interior dependent existence," she said.

The Contemporary Small Sculpture Exhibition featuring Untitled. Poodle Paw 2019 and 40 shortlisted works is now open at the Deakin University Art Gallery until 12 July. Also on display at the University's Burwood library is a selection of past Award winners and acquisitions in celebration of the Award’s 10^th anniversary.

What: Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award Exhibition.
When: 30 May to 12 July 2019. Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
Where: Deakin University Art Gallery, Building FA, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood.