Mad About the Boyd

Last year at APT7 at GOMA, I claimed this little baby as my favourite piece in the exhibition –

It was hanging in the very first room I walked into, and although it was a bit premature when there was still so much to see, I immediately knew it was going to be my favourite. Daniel Boyd’s ‘Untitled’ from 2012 is just that captivating.

So I was pretty excited to hear the Art Gallery of New South Wales announce today that Boyd has been named the winner of the 2014 Bvlgari Art Award for his work “Untitled 2014′. One of Australia’s most valuable art prizes, the acclaim is a big deal, including a major acquisition for the Art Gallery of NSW and a residency in Italy for the artist. It’s significant recognition, not just for Boyd but for all contemporary Indigenous artists working to balance tradition and the future in their work practice. I think the statement from Bvlgari Australia’s Managing Director, Julie Ann Morrison, released today sums it up pretty well:

“The selection of Daniel Boyd as the recipient of the Bulgari Art Award 2014 in the third year of this annual award is inspired. In Daniel Boyd’s work we find a masterful blend of mixed traditions in form and content. His use of historic photographs transformed into large-scale paintings rendered in dots brings representations of our history into a unique contemporary view which does not shy away from the past.”

In not shying away from the past, Daniel Boyd has created a future that is full of possibilities.

See more about the Bvlgari Art Award here http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/media-office/daniel-boyd-2014-bvlgari-art-award-recipient/