WINNER

Artist Name: FRANCESCA OWEN

Artwork Title: THE BANYA

Medium: Fine Art Print

Size: 125 x 85cm

Artist Statement:

'The Banya' is a fine art print capturing a moment in time showcasing the strength and grace of the female form. Poised beneath the surface, whilst letting go - a space where vulnerability becomes power. 

Judge’s Comment:

Art critic Cody Delistraty wrote that Fra Angelico “invented emotional interiority in art,” creating devotional works that drew viewers into reflection. Over the next 500 years, artists and writers from Henry James to Mark Rothko found in his art a pathway to their own secular emotions. Francesca Owen’s The Banya continues this lineage. Drawing on her background as an Olympic-level synchronised swimmer and performance artist, Owen replaces monastic prayer with the stillness of an underwater cell. The reflections of tiles and body form a meditative space, inviting viewers to slow their breath and thoughts. The Banya is both deeply personal and timeless—a quiet study in how art connects us to our inner life.

PEOPLE CHOICE

Artist Name: TODD SIMPSON

Artwork Title: LOVER'S CARESS

Medium: Acrylic on Aluminium

Size: 61 x 61cm

Price: $2500

Artist Statement:

Light spills like breath across the fabric, and a hand moves as if remembering. "Lover’s Caress" speaks in whispers - of longing, of nearness, of something once felt and not quite forgotten. A quiet moment, where touch becomes memory and shadow holds the shape of love.