12 March - 22 May 2022
Casula Powerhouse has been home to the prestigious Blake Prize since 2016 and has engaged artists both nationally and internationally with ideas of spirituality and religion.
The Blake Prize has evolved over the past 70 years from a focus on religious figures to a space for artists to explore the complexities of spirituality today, following the changing cultural mix of Australia’s population and our attitudes towards religion and spirituality. Artists from around Australia were invited to express their journeys in belief, spirituality or nonbelief through unique works in many different mediums.
From March to May, you’re invited to walk through our galleries and engage with thought-provoking artworks selected by this year’s esteemed panel of judges, Australian multi-disciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah, curator Megan Monte and Rosemary Crumlin OAM who is an Australian Sister of Mercy and art historian.
The majority of this year’s finalists come from Australia, representing every state and territory in the nation. Many cultures and religions from across the globe are represented in the works, including Mexico, Japan, Iran, the Philippines and China. The themes explored within the finalist works include introspective explorations of spirituality, the natural world, xenophobia and racism, gender, Australian identity and COVID-19.
The works in The 67th Blake Prize Exhibition express the huge changes the world has gone through over the last two years, as well as the changing cultural mix of Australia’s population, our attitudes towards religion and spirituality, and how our artists interpret, reflect, and question these notions via their work through art.
