Past exhibitions

Mitch Cairns, 28, from Balmain, Sydney, has won the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship 2012.

Two paintings from his winning body of work are on display at the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, alongside two works by Tom Polo, 27, from Smithfield, Sydney, who was highly commended by the judges.

Begun in 1999, this scholarship for young Australian painters is now in its 14th year. This year’s judges were artist Del Kathryn Barton and the Art Gallery of NSW’s head of Australian art, Wayne Tunnicliffe, who selected 11 artists as finalists from 95 entries.

Commenting on Cairns’s work, Barton said, 'Mitch’s curious, lyrical, figurative works are not only compelling visually, they reveal developed skill-sets vital to the mad adventure of making paintings! The sensitivity of surface, composition and of paint within these works reflect a disciplined and conceptually passionate practice.’

Cairns has won $25,000 and a three-month residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, which is administered by the Art Gallery of NSW.

About the scholarship

The annual Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship is open to Australian artists aged between 20 and 30 years. It was created from an endowment by Mrs Beryl Whiteley, who died in 2010. The inspiration was the profound effect international travel and study had on her son, the artist Brett Whiteley, as a result of winning the Italian Government Travelling Art Scholarship at the age of 20.

Principal sponsor