Art prizes are shifting – and the charge is being led by under 40s

What do a taxidermy giraffe, electro-merged textiles, and a flotilla of shields say about contemporary art making now? The finalists in Australia’s richest prize for young artists offer a hint.
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Julia Deville, Mother is my Monarch, 2018; baby giraffe, precious metals and gems; Case made by Kate Rohde: Courtesy the artist, Sophie Gannon Gallery and Jan Murphy Gallery.

The finalists for the second edition of the Ramsay Art Prize — Australia’s richest prize for contemporary artists under 40 years of age, presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) — were announced today. What is unique about the Ramsay Art Prize is that is it not genre or material specific; that is, an artist can enter anything produced in the last 12 months.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina