Glass, beeswax, sand help take out Australia's other $100k art prize
Australia's richest prize for artists aged under 40 has been won by Sydney's Jack Ball, for an installation that turns everything from inkjet prints and stained-glass to beeswax and sand into a statement of transgender identity.
Ball's Heavy Grit, developed in response to a collection of scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives, beat nearly 600 other entries for the $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize.
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The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
Artist wins $100k prize with art of wax, sand and glass
Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. In a prize with no restrictions on materials for entries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. An earlier iteration of the work, exhibited at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024, even contained chilli powder. There are also suspended elements, with ropes anchored by purple silk sandbags that have been coiled into intestinal shapes. "I just had a lot of fun working with these sculptural materials, and thinking about what sort of spatial relationships I can build," said Ball. The judges spent months selecting finalists and landed on a winner after seeing the works installed in the gallery earlier in the week. In the end, their decision was unanimous and they described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge Julie Fragar was recently in the spotlight as the 2025 Archibald Prize winner, and said with all the excitement of winning a major award, Ball should expect a few sleepless nights. "I've been looking at Jack this week thinking, 'hang on to your hat' and have fun with it," said Fragar. Due to its lack of entry restrictions, the Ramsay Prize has a unique capacity to reflect contemporary art trends, said Fragar, but it's ultimately an art world prize. "It has great potential to transform an artist's career, but the Ramsay's not 'the horse race', as they say of the Archibald." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved back to the NSW capital two years ago. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery of South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). Finalists are on display at the gallery from Saturday until August 31. Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. In a prize with no restrictions on materials for entries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. An earlier iteration of the work, exhibited at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024, even contained chilli powder. There are also suspended elements, with ropes anchored by purple silk sandbags that have been coiled into intestinal shapes. "I just had a lot of fun working with these sculptural materials, and thinking about what sort of spatial relationships I can build," said Ball. The judges spent months selecting finalists and landed on a winner after seeing the works installed in the gallery earlier in the week. In the end, their decision was unanimous and they described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge Julie Fragar was recently in the spotlight as the 2025 Archibald Prize winner, and said with all the excitement of winning a major award, Ball should expect a few sleepless nights. "I've been looking at Jack this week thinking, 'hang on to your hat' and have fun with it," said Fragar. Due to its lack of entry restrictions, the Ramsay Prize has a unique capacity to reflect contemporary art trends, said Fragar, but it's ultimately an art world prize. "It has great potential to transform an artist's career, but the Ramsay's not 'the horse race', as they say of the Archibald." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved back to the NSW capital two years ago. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery of South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). Finalists are on display at the gallery from Saturday until August 31. Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. In a prize with no restrictions on materials for entries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. An earlier iteration of the work, exhibited at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024, even contained chilli powder. There are also suspended elements, with ropes anchored by purple silk sandbags that have been coiled into intestinal shapes. "I just had a lot of fun working with these sculptural materials, and thinking about what sort of spatial relationships I can build," said Ball. The judges spent months selecting finalists and landed on a winner after seeing the works installed in the gallery earlier in the week. In the end, their decision was unanimous and they described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge Julie Fragar was recently in the spotlight as the 2025 Archibald Prize winner, and said with all the excitement of winning a major award, Ball should expect a few sleepless nights. "I've been looking at Jack this week thinking, 'hang on to your hat' and have fun with it," said Fragar. Due to its lack of entry restrictions, the Ramsay Prize has a unique capacity to reflect contemporary art trends, said Fragar, but it's ultimately an art world prize. "It has great potential to transform an artist's career, but the Ramsay's not 'the horse race', as they say of the Archibald." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved back to the NSW capital two years ago. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery of South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). Finalists are on display at the gallery from Saturday until August 31. Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. In a prize with no restrictions on materials for entries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. An earlier iteration of the work, exhibited at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024, even contained chilli powder. There are also suspended elements, with ropes anchored by purple silk sandbags that have been coiled into intestinal shapes. "I just had a lot of fun working with these sculptural materials, and thinking about what sort of spatial relationships I can build," said Ball. The judges spent months selecting finalists and landed on a winner after seeing the works installed in the gallery earlier in the week. In the end, their decision was unanimous and they described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge Julie Fragar was recently in the spotlight as the 2025 Archibald Prize winner, and said with all the excitement of winning a major award, Ball should expect a few sleepless nights. "I've been looking at Jack this week thinking, 'hang on to your hat' and have fun with it," said Fragar. Due to its lack of entry restrictions, the Ramsay Prize has a unique capacity to reflect contemporary art trends, said Fragar, but it's ultimately an art world prize. "It has great potential to transform an artist's career, but the Ramsay's not 'the horse race', as they say of the Archibald." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved back to the NSW capital two years ago. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery of South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). Finalists are on display at the gallery from Saturday until August 31.
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Artist's roll through queer history inspiration for win
Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. Ball would make a "really thorough plan" for the prize money, because "I know just how precious every opportunity is … for example, getting to travel, whether it's in Australia or overseas, meeting new people, new relationships, new communities". In a prize with no material boundaries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. The judges were unanimous in their decision and described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge and 2025 Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar said the work evoked "a really good feeling of restlessness". She said the prize was unique in its flexibility to reflect contemporary art trends, unlike other prizes with rigid criteria, and its role as a barometer for the art scene was increasingly important as resources dwindled. "Art prizes are a great way, not just to give artists money to survive and boost their careers, but also to raise their profile and to grow in a long term way," she said. "The Ramsay prize will be a huge boost to Jack Ball's career and set Jack up for the future." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved to Sydney two years ago. The winning work featured in a major solo exhibition at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). The prize was established in the name of SA cultural philanthropists James and Diana Ramsay. Works by the winner and other finalists are being exhibited at the gallery from May 31-August 31.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Artist's roll through queer history inspiration for win
Jack Ball has won the nation's richest prize for young artists for an immersive photographic and sculptural installation, inspired by a scrapbook collection in the Australian Queer Archives. Ball, 39, was announced as the winner of the Ramsay Art Prize at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of South Australia on Friday. The trans man was among 22 finalists selected from a record field of more than 500 entries for the $100,000 biennial prize, awarded to a contemporary Australian artist aged under 40. Ball, who worked on Heavy Grit intensively for more than a year, said they had a "huge emotional response" to scrapbooks held by the Australian Queer Archives. "I had so many dilemmas, so many curiosities, so many things to grapple with," they said. "In the 1950s-60s, seeing different references to trans experiences was incredibly meaningful and complex and I had a lot of big feelings to process through the experience of engaging with that content." The work includes fragments and glimpses of queer histories, layering archival materials with personal images and soft form sculptures, and creating an interplay between the past and the present. Ball would make a "really thorough plan" for the prize money, because "I know just how precious every opportunity is … for example, getting to travel, whether it's in Australia or overseas, meeting new people, new relationships, new communities". In a prize with no material boundaries, the winning work comprises diverse mediums including inkjet prints, textured stained glass, beeswax, charcoal, copper pipe, fabric, paint, sand and rope. The judges were unanimous in their decision and described the winning work as "sensual, experimental and sophisticated". Co-judge and 2025 Archibald Prize winner Julie Fragar said the work evoked "a really good feeling of restlessness". She said the prize was unique in its flexibility to reflect contemporary art trends, unlike other prizes with rigid criteria, and its role as a barometer for the art scene was increasingly important as resources dwindled. "Art prizes are a great way, not just to give artists money to survive and boost their careers, but also to raise their profile and to grow in a long term way," she said. "The Ramsay prize will be a huge boost to Jack Ball's career and set Jack up for the future." Sydney-born Ball grew up in Perth and moved to Sydney two years ago. The winning work featured in a major solo exhibition at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2024. Ball's work becomes part of the Art Gallery South Australia's collection, joining works by past winners Sarah Contos (2017), Vincent Namatjira (2019), Kate Bohunnis (2021) and Ida Sophia (2023). The prize was established in the name of SA cultural philanthropists James and Diana Ramsay. Works by the winner and other finalists are being exhibited at the gallery from May 31-August 31.
