Controversial artist Paul Ryan honoured with prize

As controversial paintings by Paul Ryan divided the Illawarra this week, members of the wider art community honoured the Thirroul artist with a prestigious art prize.Ryan's oil painting Not a Sound Out Of the Hills No More Than Smoke earned him the $20,000 Paddington Art Prize on Wednesday night.The accolade comes following public outcry over his No Country for Dreaming exhibition, on show at Wollongong City Gallery.The exhibition has caused uproar within the indigenous community for its images of decapitated Aborigines and homosexuality between early settlers and indigenous people.It was temporarily closed on Tuesday afternoon due to security concerns after members of the indigenous community protested at the gallery, but was reopened on Wednesday.Prominent indigenous leaders have expressed their outrage at the nature of the works, while Wollongong MP Noreen Hay called for the exhibition to be shut down.But yesterday members of the community who viewed the art at the gallery defended Ryan's work.Woonona couple Trish and Rod McBride said they believed the art was sympathetic to Aborigines, not denigrating."I like the artworks. I think they depict the terrible attitude officers had towards Aboriginals," Mrs McBride said."I think the paintings are an honest portrayal of the abuse that happened."Another visitor, John (surname withheld) from North Wollongong, described the images as "disturbingly brilliant".Thirroul resident Ruth Ellem agreed, saying the works were brilliant yet confronting in their portrayal of early European settlement."I can see how indigenous people might be offended because the images do portray pain caused to their ancestors, but I think the balance is that the images need to be put in front of the rest of us so that we know about this," she said."It's not easy to look at, but very valuable."Many Mercury readers vented their feelings online, with an overwhelming number of comments supporting Ryan's work."JM" said they had not seen the exhibition but had been given the impression Ryan was depicting white colonialists in a negative light, not Aborigines."Peter" responded to the outcry by suggesting Ryan's "violent" painting style suggested an "undisguised disgust" at the aspects of Australian history he was painting about.But "Justine" condemned Ryan's work, saying it was no wonder the indigenous community was offended."Shame, shame on him," she said.