The Bendigo Art Gallery has announced Chinese-born Australian artist Guan Wei as the winner of the 2015 Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize, Australia’s richest open painting prize. Guan Wei was awarded the $50,000 prize for his work “Beach 5,” which the judges praised for its “strong cultural message.”“It is a painting about Australia and the idea of cultural transformation by a Chinese born Australian artist that speaks to us about the changing nature of Australian life,” said the judges, who selected Guan Wei’s entry from a shortlist of 30 works and an original pool of more than 250 entrants from across Australia.Guan Wei is best known for his fabulous narrative paintings that connect the cultures of China and Australia. Drawing inspiration from themes such as immigration, secret histories, cross-cultural understanding, exploration, and the plight of refugees, he creates works imbued with wit, humour, and a sense of social conscience.The biennial Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize was initiated in 2003 by Mr Allen Guy C.B.E in honour of his late brother Arthur Guy who was killed in 1945 aged 30 while serving with the Royal Australian Air Force in New Guinea.The 2015 judging panel included Dr Vincent Alessi, (Senior Lecturer, Visual Arts and Design, La Trobe University), Jennifer Kalionis (Director, Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum), John McDonald (Art Critic.Sydney Morning Herald), Peter Guy (representative of the Guy family) and Julie Millowick (Vice Chair, Bendigo Art Gallery Board).Guan Wei’s “Beach 5” and works from the shortlisted artists are on display at Bendigo Art Gallery in the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize exhibition from August 29 to November 1, 2015.
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