Aspire Gallery’s Finalists on Show in ‘Unveiled’

Over the weekend Aspire Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane held the opening of their inaugural art prize, the ‘Unveiled’ art award. This art competition had hundreds of artists from around Australia submitting their portfolios in a bid to be selected as one of the 11 finalists for the 2023/2024 ‘Unveiled’ exhibition. Each month Aspire Gallery combed through the submissions selecting one artist to go into the finale exhibition. On top of this there was one wildcard position available for artists which provided an eleventh hour to be chosen for the art award. And last year Smith & Brooks were selected in the second month by Aspire Gallery to be part of the art competition finalists group which was extremely exciting for us!

Fast forward to July this year and we were able to deliver our exhibition artworks to the gallery to be hung ready for opening night. We are pleased to share that we are one of 11 finalists alongside an incredible group of Australian artists which includes Katie Leavey, Jaclyn Poke, Ree Hodges, Julie Lynch, Stephanie Langlois, Katie Sandison, Wendi Leigh, Katie Thomas, Mia Laing and Deborah Michell-Smith.

Each artist in the finalist group has their own beautiful and intriguing style making this exhibition a truly engaging experience. From the beautifully unique interpretations of farm life in regional Australia by Deborah Michell-Smith through to the gorgeously quirky and whimsical fantasy worlds of Stephanie Langlois, this exhibition is a must see. Then there are the dreamy abstracts by Ree Hodges that you can get lost in in an instant and the intense studies of water brought to life through the painting of beloved Australian beachside pools by Katie Thomas. They just give the show an endless space for contemplation and daydreams.

Smith & Brooks submitted a set of original works for the show, including two large-format works featuring bushscapes of banksia robur (in ‘Robur Moment I’) and mountain ash eucalyptus (in ‘Mountain Ash Moment I). There are two new artworks that have been inspired by a wattle local to the southeast Queensland area, acacia complanata. These two works, ‘Complanata Still I’ and ‘Complanata Form I’ feature a palette inspired by the golden blossom tones and the smooth green foliage. Our final piece is a still life that features blackbutt foliage in a retro vessel titled, ‘Blackbutt Still I’. While you are never really one hundred percent confident when putting a collection of works together for a show we did feel that this group of works reflected our style through its continuity of colour and tone as well as combining Australian native species that have been drawn from places that are special to us including greater Melbourne, Sydney and the coast line up to the New South Wales and Queensland border as well as from our homes right here in the Brisbane region.

Now ‘Unveiled’ is an art competition and there can only be one winner! I can imagine the task of selecting this one winner was extremely difficult given the quality of the works on show however it had to be done. This important job fell to two individuals: former councillor Peter Matic (a fantastic supporter and patron of the arts) and Jade Thompson (an acclaimed Brisbane artist known for his quirky cityscapes). After some deliberation the two judges settled on the winner of the Aspire Gallery’s inaugural art competition, ‘Unveiled’ and that was the incredible Wendi Leigh! Wendi Leigh’s work is a treat for the eyes with its playful use of everyday scenes transformed into fanciful portraits of Australian birdlife. Her delightful alternative narratives are beautifully executed showcasing Wendi’s exceptional technical skill. Congratulations Wendi on winning the ‘Unveiled’ art prize for 2023/2024 and we can’t wait to see what comes next for you!