Judges Comment: "The understated palette and graphic poetry of loose shapes and lines within this artwork aligns it with post-war, modernist ‘lyrical abstraction’ (European Abstraction Lyrique and American Abstract Expressionism). Though the painting is titled ‘Into the Abyss’, it does not easily offer up its meanings given the visual ambiguity of the composition, requiring the viewer’s serious contemplation and projection."
Judges Comment: "1 in 7.9 Billion’ is a sensitive material and conceptual investigation. The theme and subject of the work is well-evoked by the combination of image (the fingerprint), text, and title. There is a sense of pathos and existential uncertainty (if not anxiety) invoked by the placement of the form on a non-descript, disintegrating, torn surface—a decline and dissolution into disorder or emptiness."
Second Prize Contemporary: No. 59
"Cross" by Erica Cordell
Judges Comment: "This artwork is pictorially bold and simple yet materially substantial enough to pique the interest of the viewer. Aesthetically, it can be placed within 20th century modernist and formalist movements. The subject is enigmatic—it can be interpreted in diverse ways given a viewer’s cultural, sub-cultural, and personal experiences and frameworks. Therein lies its appeal.'
Highly Commended Contemporary: No. 81
"Into the Abyss" by Sandra Garritano
Commended Contemporary: No.30 "Bhouddi on the Edge" by Sandra Garritano
