Sulman Prize 2013
Slideshow of focus works
Click on one of the small images to scroll through.
1/5
Pei Pei He City circle
2/5
Michelle Jones Torn #6
3/5
Amanda Seddon Tautotnta (Taftotia)
4/5
Victoria Reichelt After (books)
5/5
Song Ling Brothers and sisters
Focus works
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1
Pei Pei He
City circle
More about this work in the prizes database
Children’s label text
Have you ever ridden on a tram? We don’t have ones like this in Sydney any more but you can catch one in Melbourne.
This busy street scene is painted with only one colour, but there are lots of details.
- Can you find an umbrella, stars, where the tram is going, a stripy top and a shop sign?
More questions and activities
- Describe the atmosphere of this city scene. How does the title of this work relate to the image?
- How has the artist created both a sense of the forward movement of the tram in the coming moments and a sense of depth in this scene? Stand at the end of a street and, using black-and-white art materials, sketch the view you see. Use stronger tones for the foreground to help achieve a sense of depth.
2
Michelle Jones
Torn #6
More about this work in the prizes database
Children’s label text
This painting looks like a scrunched up and torn sheet of paper with a picture of a man on it. But when you get close you see it is a flat canvas.
- How do you think the artist has tricked us into thinking there are creases and folds?
- Do you think this took a lot of thought and time to paint?
More questions and activities
- What makes this artwork different from others in the exhibition? What might the artist be trying to tell us or conceal about the person in the work?
- Imagine this was on the front cover of a novel. What might the book be called? Create a story to accompany this painting.
- Make a copy of an image then tear and scrunch it to cast shadows within the creases. Use pencil to create an illusion of depth.
3
Victoria Reichelt
After (books)
Sir John Sulman Prize 2013 winner
More about this work in the prizes database
Children’s label text
These days we use our computers or tablets to get information and read stories. The artist is wondering: will it be strange to go to libraries and see books in the future? As strange as seeing a deer in a library?
- Do you think the deer looks lost and confused?
- Do you think libraries will disappear in the future or will people still need and enjoy books?
More questions and activities
- Can you identify any references to trees in this artwork? In your own words, explain what message you think the artist is communicating to the audience.
- Why does this artwork feel both familiar and strange? Select, research and sketch a non-domesticated animal. Depict it in an interior space where animals are traditionally not welcome and attempt to give the animal a personality through its pose. Assess whether your composition also has a surreal feeling of familiarity and strangeness.
4
Amanda Seddon
Tautotnta (Taftotia)
More about this work in the prizes database
Children’s label text
In these small portraits the artist, Amanda Seddon, has put animal heads on human bodies. She has found old-fashioned picture frames and painted the creatures to look like people from long ago.
- What animals can you see? Do you think they look funny? How would they sound if they could talk?
More questions and activities
- What was your first impression of these portraits? Why do you think the artist has chosen to work on a small scale with traditional materials?
- Select an animal that represents your inner strengths and explain your choice. Create your own zoological portrait. Consider your pose and include symbols that reflect your personal interests.
5
Song Ling
Brothers and sisters
More about this work in the prizes database
Children’s label text
The two brothers and their sister are you looking straight at us. Notice how their faces and hands have been painted with lots of dots like a blown-up newspaper photo.
- How do you think these children are feeling? How do you feel?
- Stand up close, then further away from this artwork. What do you notice?
More questions and activities
- Who do you think these children might be?
- Compare and contrast the artist’s treatment of the faces and clothing in this painting.
- What do you think he has achieved by using a variety of patterns? Enlarge an image of a person. Using acrylic paint, choose three patterns in this artwork to clothe the figure and pixelate the face.