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Nathan Beard is awarded the Darebin Art Prize 2024

Published on 30 January 2024

Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is thrilled to announce Nathan Beard as the winner of the Darebin Art Prize 2024.

Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is thrilled to announce Nathan Beard as the winner of the Darebin Art Prize 2024 for his sculpture "Tropical Flesh (ii)". Nathan will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and his artwork will be acquired into the Darebin Art Collection where it can inspire the community for generations to come.

The winning work was selected by a panel of nationally recognised contemporary art experts comprising Dr Shelley McSpedden (Senior Curator at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), Dr Moorina Bonini (artist and proud Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and Wiradjuri woman) and Sarah Werkmeister (Curator at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre).

The judges said of the sculpture "Tropical Flesh (ii)":

“Nathan’s work is intriguing in that it talks to a variety of themes. It’s a meditation on diaspora, it connects food with culture, and talks to his familial heritage. It talks about mortality while being playful. Part of a larger body of work, the sculpture also posits that cultures are always part of a wider global network. As an early-to-mid-career artist, we are happy to see the work being acquired into the Darebin Art Collection and celebrate Nathan’s achievement in his practice so far.”

The Darebin Art Prize is a national acquisitive art prize celebrating excellence in contemporary visual art. This standout exhibition brings artwork together across all mediums, from painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and craft, through to video art, installation and more! Over forty renowned Australian artists are finalists in this exhibition and contenders for the $1,000 People’s Choice Award, for which audiences can cast their vote at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre. Come along, bring a friend and lodge your vote in the People’s Choice Award.

Nathan’s winning artwork will be available to view at Bundoora Homestead until 23 March 2024.

An abstract sculpture depicting a foot and greenery.
Image: Nathan Beard. "Tropical Flesh (ii)" 2023. Painted silicone, steel.

Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is a public art gallery for the City of Darebin. The Queen Ann style mansion houses contemporary art, ideas, a public garden and café, on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. Responsive to our context and the complex history of our site, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre seeks to provide a space for discussion around the key concerns of our times through the work of local, national, and international artists.