Memories give life to artworks
Memories give life to artworks
October 11, 2007
Section: News
Yang Sheng-An Memorial Art Prize winner Alena Kennedy and an ex pupil of Sheng-An, Pen-Chieh Lee.
AN Art Prize awarded in memory of a young artist who drowned off East Corrimal Beach has been won by a women who is no stranger to loss.
Illawarra woman and University of Wollongong art student Alena Kennedy's entry into the Yang Shen-An Memorial Art Prize exhibition was inspired by the death of her mother.
Ms Kennedy said it was a source of inspiration that allowed her to empathise with the family of acclaimed Taiwanese artist and University of Wollongong Doctoral student Sheng-An, who tragically drowned off East Corrimal Beach, aged 26, in 2002.
Ms Kennedy's winning work, Night Landscape 2007 was one of 22 pieces submitted by undergraduate art students for the exhibition.
The art prize is funded by the family of Sheng-An, who was a well-respected Taiwanese artist, just starting his doctoral degree in Australia when he died.
University of Wollongong student Pen-Chieh Lee, who was taught art by Sheng-An at high school in Taiwan, was one of the curators of the exhibition and also entered a work into the show called 'Spirit of Nature' which was deemed Highly Commended by the judges.
Mr Lee said it was very important to remember his old teacher.
Professor of Visual Arts and Post Graduate coordinator of the Art and Design School at the University of Wollongong Dianna Wood Conroy said she thought the themes of the exhibition were relevant to the predominantly young entrants.
“I think it's quite good for students to remember what they can do while they're still young,” she said, adding that the memorial exhibition also reminds the entrants that they too will die one day.
“It reminds students that even through they're young they are mortal.”
The Yang Sheng-An Memorial Art Prize was instigated in 2003 and was originally intended to be held for two years, however in 2004 Sheng-An's family donated $10,000 to see the prize continued in his memory.
The winner of the prize was announced last week.