Stars Align emerges a winner in art show Resolution – on now and into the new year
The annual Queensland Regional Art Awards exhibition continues to be a truly statewide survey of the art of our state – thanks to Flying Arts Alliance.
A cowboy chasing a flying saucer. You’d like to see that? Well, just take a look at the winner of the Emerging Artist Award at the 2024 Queensland Regional Art Awards held by Flying Arts Alliance.
The awards have just been announced in Brisbane and an exhibition of finalists’ work is on display in the CBD until January 6 before touring Queensland through 2025.
The 2024 QRAA exhibition, Resolution, showcases the diverse work of 28 finalists from eight categories, including two People’s Choice winners. This year, artists were invited to explore the theme of “resolution”, which acknowledges that artists, through their creative process, and society, grapple and confront multiple viewpoints and concepts requiring resolution.
There are so many great works on display. Plaudits to Flying Arts Alliance for being the epitome of a truly statewide arts organisation, as the exhibition reflects its vast regional reach.
My eye was immediately drawn to that Emerging Artist Award winner, Stars Align, by Sunshine Coast artist Teddy Horton. It’s intriguing – a cowboy, a flying saucer, an Outback landscape. What’s not to love?
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“Stars Align subverts traditional cowboy narratives typically based on story resolution through violence and retribution,” Horton explains. “Rather than chasing aliens to exact revenge, our hero mourns his loss, grieves with his friends and goes online to search for a new companion. We all experience loss in our lives and can struggle to express our feelings.”
The work is a result of working creatively with AI. One of the judges, respected artist Bianca Beetson, says Horton’s work “exemplifies the effective use of AI in art, demonstrating how technology can complement creative expression”.
“While AI played a role in its creation, the artist’s skill and expertise are undeniable, as the work is both technically complex and executed with remarkable precision,” Beetson says. “The result is a piece that is fun, quirky and uniquely reflective of the artist’s voice, showcasing their ability to infuse individuality into an innovative medium to tell the story.”
Winners received their awards from Queensland Minister for Education and the Arts, John-Paul Langbroek, at a gala function on the weekend.
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The QRAAs are one of Australia’s pre-eminent art awards
The Queensland Regional Art Awards is Flying Arts Alliance’s annual signature visual arts event and exhibition for established and emerging artists living in regional and remote Queensland. Offering Australia’s largest regional art awards prize pool of more than $140,000, the QRAAs are one of Australia’s pre-eminent awards.
The major prize is the Art for Life Award, with $25,000 in prize money from Flying Arts plus print and digital editorial opportunities valued at $10,000 from Artist Profile and a two-week solo exhibition.
This year’s winners are Cairns artists Simone Arnol and Bernard Singleton with Emanate – Yimbi (Basket – to leach out toxins, destress or filter out noise).
Other winners include: Textile Art Award winner, Townsville artist Lisa Ashcroft for Don’t follow me, I’m lost too; Annie Tan Memorial Watercolour Award winner, Cairns artist Lyn Bartolo for Abandoned; Environmental Art Award winner, Moreton Bay artist Lauren Edmonds for Dark Forebodings; Remote Artist Award winner, Winton artist Karen Stephens for Looking for the pink opals (above ground); and First Nations Artist Award winner, Sunshine Coast artist Paul Bong for Beginning of Creation.
The Mervyn Moriarty Landscape Award winner was Gold Coast artist Victoria Reichelt with Focus 4.
The combination of significant non-acquisitive cash prizes and valuable professional advancement opportunities means that the awards offer both financial support and career-changing opportunities.
Flying Arts Alliance chair Anthe Philippides says: “Flying Arts is delighted to be able to recognise the extraordinary talent of Queensland’s regional artists with the prestigious QRAAs. Many artists have told us that winning an award has been a game changer for their careers.”
Artworks were entered from across regional Queensland, including from Mornington Island and Seisa at the tip of Cape York, to Cairns, Townsville, Winton, Yeppoon, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast regions.
Brisbane audiences can view the Resolution exhibition of QRAA finalists’ work in the foyer of 33 Charlotte St, Brisbane, until January 6. In 2025, Flying Arts will tour the exhibition regionally to Cairns, Moranbah, Charters Towers, Charleville and Chinchilla.