Shanti Shea-Ann, current PhD candidate at ANU School of Art & Design, has been awarded as the 2022 Grand Champion of the Eloquence Art Prize. For her winning presentation on the influence of French artist Henri Matisse on Australian art, Shanti is receiving a flight to Paris, art history classes at the Ecole du Louvre, and other exciting items.
Shanti was chosen as the ANU Champion by a local jury composed of:
- Professor Rae Frances, Dean of CASS
- Associate Professor Beck Davis, Head of the School of Art and Design
- Professor Chris McAuliffe, Director of the Centre for Art History and Art Theory
- Associate Professor Leslie Barnes, French Studies
- Gordon Bull, former Head of the School of Art and Design and representative of Alliance Française, Canberra
- Associate Professor Robert Wellington, Centre for Art History and Art Theory.
Shanti went on to compete with three other finalists from the University of Sydney, Monash, and the National Art School.
She was ultimately selected the winner of the Grand Prize, due to the narrative style, clarity, poetry, and personal touch that she brought to her presentation.
As Grand Champion, Shanti wins:
- Flight to Paris (up to $3,000), donated by the French Embassy in Australia (*)
- $1000 cash, donated by the French Embassy in Australia
- Art History classes, donated by Ecole du Louvre in Paris (*)
- Mentoring sessions with the Grand Final Jury
Shanti holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) from the ANU School of Art and Design, and a Master of Art History & Curatorial Studies from the ANU Centre for Art History and Art Theory. Her MA thesis, for which she was awarded the University Medal, examined pictorial and architectural thresholds in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. Shanti is currently a PhD candidate in the painting workshop at the ANU.
The Eloquence Art Prize is a pro-bono initiative of CulturePlus, presented in partnership with the Embassy of France in Australia and with the support of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The concept behind the prize is to reward the best 15-minute art talk given by a university student in front of a jury composed of leading Australian arts professionals. The first Eloquence Art Prize jury is presided by Maud Page, Art Gallery of NSW Deputy Director and Director of Collections.
The Grand Final will provide some of the most engaging art talks in the country: four of the top Australian universities across three states are competing, including the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Sydney and the National Art School are competing.
Arts students at the level of Honour, Master and PhD are selected through a three-stage process. Each University is electing its champion to participate in the Grand Final on the 7th of February. The Grand Final will take place on Wednesday 23rd of February from 5.30pm to 9 pm at the Art Gallery of NSW with all University champions.
This year’s theme is The Influence of Matisse on Australian Art and is largely inspired by the exhibition, Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris, at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney, presented until 13 March.
The Eloquence Art Prize is designed to provide unique opportunities to university arts students. Marie Chretien, Director of CulturePlus said: “The prizes provide exceptional ‘money can't buy’ experiences for the recipients" and include a trip to Paris to meet the curators of the Pompidou Centre and mentoring sessions with the Grand Final Jury, composed of personalities of the Australian Art Industry.
“Expected to be among the most exciting cultural events of the beginning of 2022 and involving talented Australian tertiary students, the Grand Final is the demonstration of the fantastic solidarity that exists at all levels in the Australian arts industry".
Watch live recordings of the 15-minute talks here - https://vimeo.com/event/1869815