A red-brick Bulli home, a Werri Beach artist and American rap group the Beastie Boys have all ended up in the nation's top art prizes.
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Finalists of the prestigious Archibald portrait prize were announced on Thursday at the Art Gallery of NSW, along with finalists of the Wynne (landscape or figurative sculpture) and Sulman (genre, subject or mural) prizes.
This year will be the seventh time Thirroul painter Paul Ryan has been a finalist in the Sulman and the 13th time for the Archibald.
His entry for the latter began as a simple portrait of artist James Drinkwater. The result was a colourful depiction of the Beastie Boys (as that's what Ryan was listening to at the time) with Drinkwater's face reflected in a mirror etched behind the band.
The talents of northern Illawarra resident Anh Do are again showcased this year, with a portrait of Werri Beach artist and activist George Gittoes titled Art and War. Do was also a finalist in the Archibald in 2014, and won the People's Choice award in 2017.
Bulli artist John Bokor's living-room depiction Four thirty pm was named a finalist for the Sulman, while Clare Thackway's Billow and tide is up for the Archibald.
There were also many newcomers hung upon the walls, including Christopher Zanko and Nick Santoro - both represented by Thirroul's Egg & Dart Gallery.
"Its a lot of exposure and it comes with a bit of super kudos," managing agent Aaron Fell-Fracasso said.
Zanko's love for capturing Illawarra architecture has seen his depiction of a Bulli home on the Princes Highway a finalists of the Wynne Prize.
"I try not to think about the implications of whether good or bad of what could happen from it, but I'm really thankful to be included," he said.
"A lot of the buildings [I paint] aren't necessarily prominent that they're important, but they're everyday vernacular buildings that represent parts of the history of Illawarra like in mining, or around Bulli like the brickworks."
I remember when I had my first painting hung in Sulman in about 1987... It's definitely a landmark moment in your life.
- George Gittoes
The 27-year-old said he's really "stoked" his mate Santoro, 25, was also being hung in the gallery this year and in contention for the Sulman Prize.
Santoro's work Hewitts Avenue montage is a colourful "ode to memories and imaginings" whilst he was living in a fibro shack in Thirroul.
Meantime, Gittoes said the prestige is immensely important for any young artist to be named a finalist as it helps propel their name and their work into the forefront of the art world.
"I remember when I had my first painting hung in the Sulman in about 1987," Gittoes told the Mercury.
"I was thrilled to walk into Art Gallery of NSW where all the great masters are ... and suddenly for the first time see one of mine was on the wall. It's definitely a landmark moment in your life."
This year a record number of entries for the Archibald Prize were received by the gallery, numbering 919. The previous record was 884 in 2014. Finalists in all prizes will be exhibited at the gallery from May 11 to September 8.
For more details visit: www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/