Anneke Jamieson wins prestigious Napier Waller Art Prize

The Australian War Memorial is delighted to announce that retired major, Mrs Anneke Jamieson, has won the 2022 Napier Waller Art Prize with her portrait, The Promotion. 

The Promotion is an acrylic and oil on canvas featuring a servicewoman in uniform breastfeeding her baby. Mrs Jamieson, a mother of three, took inspiration from her own experiences when creating the work.

“I dedicate her to the mothers that serve; to their sacrifices and conflicted hearts and to the families who support them,” Mrs Jamieson said in her artist statement. 

The work was selected from a shortlist of 14 highly commended entries. Mrs Jamieson will receive a $10,000 cash prize and the portrait will be added into the Memorial’s National Collection. 

The Napier Waller Art Prize is open to all current and former service personnel in the Australian Defence Force.     

“We are honoured to provide this opportunity for those who have served, and those still serving, to share their stories through art. The prize encourages artistic excellence, promotes creativity and highlights the experiences and talent of our service personnel,” Australian War Memorial Director, Matt Anderson, said.

“The judges were impressed by all the highly commended works, and we came to a unanimous decision to award the prize to Anneke Jamieson. Her portrait highlights the challenges of commitment to service and family.”

Head of Art at the Australian War Memorial, Laura Webster, said: “This year’s short-listed works are of an extremely high standard. They are also quite diverse and show a broad range of artistic talent with a variety of mediums represented.

“The winning work is very significant because it tells the story of women and mothers in the Australian Defence Force.”

An exhibition featuring 14 highly commended works is being held at Australian Parliament House until 20 November 2022.

The accompanying online exhibition features 28 short-listed works. Short-listed artists are eligible for the People’s Choice Award, which has a cash prize of $5,000. Voting for the People’s Choice will continue via the Memorial’s website until the exhibition closes.

The Napier Waller Art Prize is sponsored by The Hospital Research Foundation Group, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Thales Australia, and is supported by the University of Canberra.

CONTACT: Media team on 02 6243 4575, 0409 600 038 or media@awm.gov.au 

Notes to Editor:

Images from the 2022 Napier Waller Art Prize Exhibition launch are available on request.
 

Further information:

The 14 highly commended works are on display at Australian Parliament House until 20 November 2022: 

• The promotion, acrylic and oil on canvas board, Anneke Jamieson
• Blood in my shadow, painting, Jon Oliver
• Taingiwilta Ngayirdila ‘Strength in the Air’, acrylic on canvas, Steven Warrior
• Ricky, photograph, Gordon Traill
• Charlie, oil on canvas, Andrew Littlejohn
• Brick window, acrylic on MDF, Martin Scanlan
• A moment, acrylic on paper, Greg Scott
• Du'a in Despair, textile, repurposed fabric, wire, Shairazi Bahari
• Surrender 1-3, dry point etching/digital prints, Daniel Kotynia
• Reckoning, photographic etching with chine colle and stencilling on Somerset, Kat Rae
• Blazing banksia, mixed media on cradled wooden panel, Matt Kilby
• Flying falling diving drowning, ink and bleach painted on recycled commando comics and shredded slouch hat, Glen Braithwaite
• Going nowhere: rusting monuments in salted earth, oil on cotton, Julian Thompson
• Redacted II, sculpture in steel, Richard Barrett

The 2022 Napier Waller Art Prize judging panel consisted of:

• Matt Anderson PSM, Director of the Australian War Memorial
• Fiona Borthwick, Senior Curator, Centre for Creative Health, Hospital Research Foundation
• General Angus Campbell AO DSC, Chief of the Australian Defence Force
• Gary Dawson, Vice President Strategy of Thales Australia
• Dr Deborah Hart, Henry Dalrymple Head Curator, Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia
• eX de Medici, former official war artist
• Professor Paddy Nixon, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University, University of Canberra
• Laura Webster, Head of Art, Australian War Memorial

The Napier Waller Art Prize is named in honour of Mervyn Napier Waller, an Australian artist and serviceman who was wounded during the fighting at Bullecourt in the First World War and had his right arm amputated as a result. During his convalescence, Waller learned to write and draw with his left hand, saying, “An artist draws with his head, not his hands.” Waller displayed remarkable ingenuity throughout his career and went on to create the mosaics and stained glass windows in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial.