Remagine 2022 – Winners List

Category	Artist Name, Artwork	Artist Statement
Winner	Nadine Schmoll, Five Vessels, Polyethelene water bottles, mirror, 2022	Submerged underwater, plastics make ideal vessels for colonising microscopic organisms. These bacteria have been found to be potentially harmful to corals, triggering a globally devastating group of coral diseases called white syndromes. Plastic waste derived from polyethylene, such as water bottles, are amongst the worst culprits. Covered in plastic, corals are deprived of light and oxygen and exposed to toxins, causing coral stress, and allowing the bacteria to invade. Five Vessels is a collection of small sculptures made by sculpting waste plastic water bottles with heat. Imitating the fragile translucence of glass, these sculptures hold our hopes and dreams of a different future that values plastic for its creative reuse potential.
Runner up	Alexandra Mills, Nine o’clock, salvaged birdcages, tie wire, 2022	This work reimagines the skyline of the old Darlinghurst Gaol buildings which were constructed in the 19th century on a circular plan and reinvented in the 20th century as the National Art School in Sydney. The title refers to the evening call from the watchtowers as well as the starting time for morning classes at NAS. The circular relationship of these two distinct ‘lives’ of the site lies in the fact that prisoners were occupied in making objects (clothing, books, mats, brushes and much more) just as the art students also spend their days making often using the same materials as the prisoners. Having been re-made from cage material with a different original purpose, the work itself possesses its own circular character.
Runner up	Lisa McKimmie, Anthill, oil and gesso on linen, 2022	Oil on recycled stretched linen. I strive for a zero-waste studio. Preparing older works for reuse, having no paint or solvent waste in my process. The process must honour the subject. Each palette is informed by the palette on the previous work and will inform the palette on the next. Broken or worn brushes or found items are used for sgraffito in the paint surface.
Local Artist Award	Anna Druganova, Leftovers, acrylic on paper, 2022	This painting represents after COVID19 reality. Things like masks and plastic bottles could end up in the ocean and pollute the environment. The name of the painting can be also interpreted as ‘Planet's Earth major concern’ (that was my first name for this painting) and explains that not only humans are affected by Pandemia, but Planet Earth, in general, is affected in many ways. It explains that Planet Earth should be protected from these ‘leftovers’ otherwise pandemic becomes ‘Circular’ and comes back again.
Youth Award	Emily Li, Rainbow oceans, wooden skateboard, acrylics plastic, cotton, gold leaf, 2022	‘Rainbow Oceans’ highlights the pollution in our oceans, showcasing the negative impact we have on the ecosystem by carelessly using our finite resources. The two main aspects this artwork focuses on is plastic waste we have produced, as well as oil spills and their effect on the biodiversity in the ocean. Not only does this harm the marine life, it also has an impact on people and can cause many health problems like heart disease, increased risk of cancer and death. All of this pointless damage done to the environment can be easily reduced by valuing and caring about our resources. I believe we need to start to change our ways before the damage is irreversible, as sustainability is important to ensure the future for us all.
Highly Commended	Nicole Fiedler, Heritage Vessels, paperbark, embroidery, cotton, 2022	Heritage Vessels is an ongoing collection of unique paperbark sculptures, merging the artist’s German, British and Australian heritage. Within the confines of Heritage Vessels, conceptual aspects of the circularity of cultural and environmental sustainability come into play. Representing the ceremonial experiences of social and cultural interaction, Heritage Vessels encapsulates recognisable social rituals, breathing new life into a naturally occurring and discarded material, melaleuca paperbark. The artist nods to underlying elements of form and function (celebrating her Father and Grandfather’s engineering skills) and the unique properties of the material selected, being laden with valuable natural oils, malleability, water-tightness and thermal retention qualities, as utilised by First Nation Australians. The shed sheets of paperbark have been foraged in paddocks, post flood and fire, then constructed into both symbolic and imagined vessels, honouring nature’s fragility, yet the bias of each sheet - re-telling and merging histories and relationships – preserving both culture and the environment.
Highly Commended	Chrystal Rimmer, Portrait of a bleeding heart, discarded plastic harvested from the landscape, 2022	On an increasingly hostile planet, where chaos permeates the everyday, I wonder how to combat my bleeding heart. Portrait of a Bleeding Heart is a mirror, it is a portrait of ‘us’ — a reflection of the symbiotic web of interdependencies that bind us to each other, to other species, and to the planet as a whole. Reconciliation of our ecological losses comes from knowing that the revitalisation of ‘waste’ can symbolise our future — resilient, interconnected, regenerative, circular.