Judges and Curator

Benjamin Loaring

Benjamin creates artworks that express a viewpoint of Social issues, historical narratives and concepts related to West Australian and wider Australian context through his art processes of sculpture, painting, photography and installation he materialises his own understandings of the world.

Loaring has works held in the public collection of the Shire of Derby West Kimberley, the Elizabeth and Lloyd Horn Collection and numerous private collections throughout Australia and internationally.

His accolades include two time winner of the acquisitive Kimberley Art and Photography Prize 2016 & 2019; View to Asia Outdoor Sculpture Prize, Broome winner 2019 and 3rd place 2018; Sculpture Award Shinju Matsuri Art Prize, Broome winner 2018 & 2015; Shinju Matsuri Art Prize winner of painting category, Broome, 2011; Highly Commended Award winner at the Shinju Matsuri 2014.

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Pearl Proud

Pearl was born in Durban, South Africa and migrated to Australia in 1987. She is a Zulu Traditional Healer, with a background in Psychology, Governance, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Pearl has held a range of board positions and overseen the inception and strategic evolution of boards with a footprint in the Arts, Health, Mental Health, and Tertiary sectors; and has held clinical and management positions in private practice, government, non-for-profit, social services, and corporate sectors.

Pearl has a commitment to actively contribute to the civic, social, cultural, and artistic life in Western Australia, she was Patron for the Perth Arts Festival, including for the 50th Anniversary Perth Festival, the Founding Patron for the Perth Writers Festival, and a Medici Donor. Pearl is passionate about the Arts, is an advocate for diversity in the Arts, champions First Nations and Intercultural artistic expression, and believes in the First Nations First principle in the framing of our cultural dialogue. Her civic and philanthropic contribution acknowledgements include the national Living Legend Award 2012.

Fiona Gavino

Fiona of Australian, Filipino, and Māori heritage, has been described as an intercultural artist working the traditional into the contemporary. Gavino graduated from Charles Darwin University with a BA Visual Arts in 2006 and was a practicing artist there for 12 years.  Her work features in Hot Springs; the Northern Territory & Contemporary Australian Artists (Macmillan Art Publishing), in 2007 she relocated to Western Australia and currently lives and works in Fremantle. In 2014 Gavino was a recipient of an Asialink Residency and was invited to return the following year to exhibit at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines with a solo show, In-between-spaces. Recently Gavino marked 25 years of practice with her critically celebrated exhibition Making Ground Breaking Ground.