EAST Tamar artist Mandy Hunniford was last night named the inaugural winner of the $5000 LGH Art Prize for a work that was strikingly blood red, silent but pulsating with symbolism.
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Titled The Tree of Life/Arterial Tree , the work explores the intrinsic links between our bodies, minds and the world around us.
In her artist's statement Hunniford wrote: ``The arterial trees of the brain and the branching pattern of arteries that flow around our bodies are our internal topography and are depicted as such by the branches of the tree of life.''
Hunniford's work stood out from more than 60 works submitted for the prize celebrating art in health.
``What really impressed us about Mandy's work was the calibre of technique, supported by her artist's statement, that really captured the power of art in health,'' said Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery contemporary Australian art curator Damien Quilliam, who was on the judging panel, alongside Arts Tasmania roving curator and printmaker Melissa Smith, and QVMAG director Richard Mulvaney.
Emerging artist Amelia Digney kept true to her credo - art is an act of creation and creation is something wonderful - with her work Maternity Leaves , that honours the life cycle of plataepus [sic].
This work was awarded the $500 LGH Visual Arts Committee Prize.
LGH chief executive John Kirwan said the LGH Art Prize had been developed to ``encourage an understanding and appreciation of an art-in-health program at the hospital and promote inclusiveness in the community''.
All works are now on exhibition in the ARTrium gallery within the Northern Integrated Care Service building, Frankland Street, Launceston, until June 30. It is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm and entry is free.
