Exhibitions

2018 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize

The Pro Hart Outback Art Prize is an annual acquisitive competition. The prize showcases work in any media which reflects the spirit and diversity of the Australian Outback. Attracting record entries for the second year in a row, with 325 applications received - the 2018 Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, is guaranteed to be a show like no other.

Displaying all 49 chosen Finalists' work, ranging from 2D, 3D, Textiles, Photography, Sculpture and Video Installation - this show has somehting for everyone.

The prize consists of an Acquisitive First Prize, a Non-Acquisitive Second Prize, a Non-Acquisitive Encouragement Award and a Peoples Choice Award with a total prize pool of $19,000. The winning work will be added to the nationally recognised collection of the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.

Join guest Judge Gordon Morrison for the Official Opening and Prize Announcements, here at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery. 

Friday, August 3rd, 2018  |  Doors open at 6pm

Catering from Lee Cecchin of Pandoras Palate and Gold Coin donation bar - raising money towards Art Restoration.

The Pro Hart Outback Art Prize was renamed in acknowledgement of his and his family’s contribution to the arts and support of Broken Hill. The prize is generously supported by Mrs Raylee J Hart and Broken Hill City Council.

Tom Phillips  |  Dystopia

In this series of paintings and entitled “Dystopia,” Tom Phillip's is examining the male culture and its internal struggle with the new technology -  focusing on their fear of abandonment, loss of job and the feeling of being exorcized in our society.

Tom sees himself as a paintbrush warrior and social commentator, working mainly in an expressive figurative style. He is deeply affected by political and social events that are happening in Australia and around the world.

"As an artist, I believe art should say something about the world that we live in. Therefore, my role is to question the society itself. The most important themes that I visit in my paintings are class, societal conflicts, male identity / masculine culture, urban alienation, abandonment and the anxiety of Living in this fast changing modern world of ours. My paintings have always been about the human experience and its struggles."

Tom holds back no punches in his mark making, letting his brushes do the talking.

"I choose to use the marks as a vehicle to express my ideas in paint. I attempt to establish some kind of a relationship between abstraction and figuration, and so wrestle with the two styles on my canvas. I don’t know how my paintings will look until they are finished. Therefore, this whole process does create a tension and some kind of aggressive energy within my paintings. "