Comments from 2026 Omnia Art Prize Guest Judge, Dr Emily Cormack – Head of Exhibitions and Programs at TarraWarra Museum of Art.
“Both of this year’s winners were selected for the way their chosen medium informed the content of their work. Too often artists don’t consider the historic or conceptual legacies of their materials and what they bring to the meaning of a work. Materials embody meaning, and it is the artist’s job to harness this.”
Major Prize – Most Outstanding Work in Any Medium
Jo Scicluna, Where the Land Remembers You #2
“Scicluna’s intelligent use of sculptural form in combination with the photographic medium provides the perfect vehicle for the artist’s intention. The lonely billowing waves speak to a sense of loss and longing, that is compounded by the vertical curve in the paper. This gentle intervention in the smooth photographic surface unsettles the subject matter, reminding the viewer of the inherent tensions within Australia’s colonised lands.”
“Whilst the work does speak to a specifically Australian story, its emphasis in the title on the absent or remembered ‘you’, also suggests a broader immigrant or refugee experience with looking out to sea – watching the ocean and remembering loved ones who are elsewhere.”
“The way that Scicluna handles her chosen media shows a confidence and sophistication that should be recognised. She has clearly thought deeply about what it means to photograph land and sea, as a non-indigenous person in a colonised country and has created a tender, respectful portrait of this tension.”
Most Outstanding Small Sculpture
Claire Bridge, Cup II
“This stunningly resolved glazed ceramic work balances a contemporary aesthetic use of glazes and form-making with an ancient classical story. The work tells the story of Daphne’s escape from Apollo and depicts the moment Daphne transforms into a Laurel tree to avoid being captured by him. The work takes the form of a chalice – or cup – which attests to Claire’s deep understanding of the history of the ceramic traditions.”
“This work shows a high degree of skill as well as a depth of knowledge about the history and traditions associated with her medium. Ceramics were traditionally functional, and in combining an ancient story with this traditional form Claire establishes a continuum between the past and present, honouring the legacy of her medium through a contemporary lens.”
General Comments
“The 2026 entries were beautifully curated, showing the organisers deep engagement and creative insights into the works. As such, the Omnia Art Prize is a pleasure to view.”
“The works offer views into the wonderful worlds of a vast array of artists, and shows a depth of talent that speaks to the optimism and wonder that is available to the creative mind.”
“Of particular note were a selection of highly affecting and evocative paintings that rendered the subtle nuance of mood into a landscape with great success.”