2011 Mid West Art Prize

Judging notes by Lance Hyde,
Curator of Royal Perth Hospital Art Collection

This artwork is very unusual, in that, it rests in between the layers of both tradition and transition. Young uses a delicate handling of threads and textiles to examine various aspects of the human condition. The artist's philosophical themes are therefore unseen guidelines for this work. These underlying concepts are then further reduced to signals, symbols, and her feelings implanted in the textural experience. These larger personal concerns are represented in several ways, and often hard to realise at first glance.

So consider the following points as a way to help you investigate her work:

First, as a showcase for the artists labour, skills, technical abilities, and accomplishments.

Secondly, through her cognitive reasoning and her personal arts language; (this is one of the many things that influence her work or drives the intellectual expressions beneath the work), for example, why we do art works? Why did Young use a precedent art representations to convey her ideas? Young's way of approaching an art form, has created a higher branch of human communication. A language peppered with intuitive sensual meaning. We can sense this ambience gist, in the work even if we can't understand exactly why.

Third, by understanding and using the power of the European textile tradition (such as the depiction of cultural events, the symbols of heraldry or feudal power, the icons of national identity, contemporary advertising motifs and the psychology of shapes, patterns and colours), Young consciously crafts her traditional backbone of textiles knowledge, into the supporting emblems and patterns, in the work.

Fourth, acquiring the knowledge needed to fuse together a past tradition with present day art values and then create a transitional form of textiles that enables the audience to consider this future direction in the arts is remarkable.

Fifth, Young is also commenting on the accomplished skills of women in the decorative arts and also their oppression over time.

Textiles are part of our everyday lives, in our business and homes. We use textiles as textures and coverings, as cushions, carpets, fabric runners, window dressing and dining table treatments. Fabrics are used to advertise companies and corporations with T-Shirts, beach wear, on the cat walks and in fashion magazines. Today, technological textiles are used for military applications, space exploration and in products used by extreme sports, and as life style choices.

Elisa Markes-Young's artwork, represented in the first Mid West 2011 Art Awards, clearly demonstrates that textiles can be used as a language to review our political awareness, to consider social issues, and to evoke feelings, moods, and ideas. A sensitive art form, that is now, a leader in contemporary arts.

Royal Perth Hospital

The Royal Perth Hospital has the biggest hospital art collection in Australia covering more than 100 years of artistic practice and containing over 1,100 artworks.

Among the most recognised pieces that make up the collection are works by Rupert Bunny, Sir Arthur Streeton, Norman Lindsay, Arthur Boyd, Kathleen O'Connor, Albert Namatjira, Charles Blackman and Jeffrey Smart, Howard Taylor, Robert Juniper, Guy Grey-Smith, Rover Thomas, Theo Koning, Ronnie Tjampatjimpa, Julie Dowling and Max Pam.

Lance Hyde (art collection curator since 2006) states that the main purpose of art in hospitals was not just for decoration. It was to engage, entertain and improve the lives of the patients, the staff and visitors.

Two earlier artworks from Elisa Markes-Young are included in this prestigious collection.

The Strange Quiet of Things Misplaced #24
Acrylic, wool, cotton and silk on Belgian linen, approx. 1100mm x 1100mm.

Winner of the 2011 Mid West Art Prize, Overall Award for Excellence.