Napier Waller Art Prize

Napier Waller Art Prize

Judges’ statement

We are proud to award the 2024 Napier Waller Art Prize to Kathryn Rae for Deathmin. This sculpture is a powerful evocation of the burden carried by so many families after the death by suicide of current or former service personnel. The work is powerful, contemporary and layered with multiple codes: the artist presents us with a stack of the paperwork generated before and after her husband Andrew’s death. At her height and his weight, Deathmin embodies the challenges attested to at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. This is a vital contribution to public discourse at a time when the nation is grappling with the urgent need to do better; that no one who serves this nation experiences what Andrew and Kathryn went through. We thank Kathryn for her courage and generosity in sharing her story, and congratulate her on the realisation of this finely balanced and complex work.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to all the artists who have been Highly Commended and Shortlisted for the prize. The Australian War Memorial exists to recognise and understand the Australian experience of service; the Napier Waller Art Prize is an important opportunity for current and former personnel to ascribe meaning to their service. The diverse subjects, media and narratives in the entries reflects the breadth of skills, talents and experiences among current and former Australian Defence Force personnel. This prize demonstrates the power of art to tell stories, aid healing, and ensure we never forget those who have served this nation.

Napier Waller Art Prize judges:

• Matt Anderson PSM, Director of the Australian War Memorial
• General Angus Campbell AO DSC, Chief of the Australian Defence Force
• Bree Pickering, Director of the National Portrait Gallery of Australia
• Penelope Grist OAM, A/g Director, Art Collections, Australian Parliament House
• eX de Medici, former official war artist
• Laura Webster, Head of Art, Australian War Memorial

Initiated in 2018, the Napier Waller Art Prize was named after Mervyn Napier Waller, an Australian artist who enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915. In May 1917 he was wounded in the right arm while serving with the 11th Field Artillery Brigade during the fighting at Bullecourt. His arm was later amputated, and during his convalescence he learned to write and draw with his left hand, saying, “an artist draws with his head, not his hands”. In 1937 Waller was chosen to create the mosaics and stained glass windows in the Australian War Memorial’s Hall of Memory.