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Sam Cranstoun, 'Untitled (Power Structures)', 2016, Watercolour on paper. Photo courtesy of Artbank.
For immediate release – Wednesday 11 May, 2016
Artbank and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) today announced Brisbane artist Sam Cranstoun as the winner of the Artbank + QPAC Commission 2016.
This exciting commission provides the opportunity for early to mid-career Queensland based artists to realise the creation of a new, large scale work on paper. Artists and artist collectives were invited to submit proposals to create a two dimensional artwork in photomedia, drawing, printmedia, collage or painting on paper.
As the winner of the commission, Sam Cranstoun wins $6,000 to produce his winning artwork, which will be on display in the Russell Street Wine Bar of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre Playhouse for a period of twelve months from mid 2016 to mid 2017. It will then be acquired for the prestigious Artbank collection, and will be made available for lease following its return from QPAC in 2017.
Artist Sam Cranstoun’s multidisciplinary practice draws upon a variety of tangentially connected images and objects in a playful examination of shifting cultural values. Cranstoun graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He has held solo exhibitions locally, including Fox River Rising (2013), and Memphis Tn (2014) at the Milani Gallery. Cranstoun’s work has been presented in group exhibitions such as GoMA Q (2015), Subtropic Complex at the Institute of Modern Art (2014) and Tokyo Downtown Cool Media Festival, Tokyo (2010). He has twice been selected as a finalist for the Archibald Prize and twice been awarded Arts Council of Australia grants.
Says Tony Stephens, Artbank’s Director: “This commission marks the fourth year of our partnership with QPAC, a collaboration developed to promote and support contemporary Queensland artists through commission, acquisition and public display. In the past, we have commissioned exceptional works from artists such as photomedia artist Kate Bernauer (2013), photographer Martin Smith (2014) and photographic artist and costume maker Gerwyn Davies (2015).
“We are delighted to be awarding this year’s commission to Sam Cranstoun’s and look forward to seeing his ideas for an ambitious work on paper come to life. Sam is one of the rising stars of the Brisbane arts scene and his provocative exploration of historical imagery and events should create an exceptional work for the Artbank + QPAC Commission.”
QPAC Associate Director Arts Programming Kirsten Siddle added: “Our ongoing relationship with Artbank has seen QPAC promote Queensland artists’ work through leasing a newly commissioned work from Artbank, alongside additional pieces from their collection, for public display in QPAC’s Russell St Wine Bar. This partnership demonstrates QPAC’s commitment to support and promote artists, not just performers on stage, but within the broader artistic community.”
Says Sam Cranstoun: “I am really excited to have been awarded the 2016 Artbank + QPAC Commission. I have for a long time wanted to create a work on paper that draws on my personal archive of historically based imagery - images that I have collected in developing other projects but ultimately not been able to use - and this commission gives me the opportunity to explore and develop these incongruous and seemingly unrelated images for a series of watercolours. It’s an honour to be showing at QPAC and for the work to be acquired for the Artbank Collection.”
For over 35 years, Artbank has been at the forefront of the Australian contemporary art sector. Established in 1980 as a federal government support program, Artbank provides direct support to Australian contemporary artists through the acquisition of their work and promotes the value of Australian contemporary art to the broader public. Artbank funds its operations through a unique leasing programme; working with individuals, companies, governments and embassies in over seventy countries across the globe. With approximately 10,000 works by over 3,000 artists, Artbank holds one of the largest collections of Australian contemporary art in the world, which includes some of the best examples of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artwork produced over the past four decades. As the largest collector of Australian art in the country, Artbank’s support for artists is often applied early in their careers, with further acquisitions made at regular intervals to form an extensive and constantly evolving collection of Australian contemporary art.
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is one of Australia’s leading centres for live performance. Welcoming 1.4 million visitors to around 1250 performances each year, QPAC embraces the best in live performance – the world renowned alongside the emerging, local and new – and connect to the stories and ideas at the heart of each production. Through the warmth and expertise of QPAC staff, QPAC has become a trusted curator, presenter and host; a place to come together and relax, reflect, share stories and celebrate. Visit www.qpac.com.au to learn more about Queensland’s Centre for live performance and the range of exciting events and initiatives on offer year round, including weekly tours here. To come a little closer to QPAC find out more about QPAC Membership here.
