august, 2020
17aug(aug 17)9:00 am14sep(sep 14)5:00 pm
Event Details
Place your vote to help your favourite Queensland Regional Art Awards 2020 entry win a People’s Choice Award. Selected artists will also be in the running to be included in the Decadence touring exhibition, touring across Queensland 2020 – 2022.
People’s Choice Award Prizes
Adults: $1,250 cash, non acquisitive, thanks to TAFE Queensland
Youth (aged 17 – 25 years): $750, cash, non acquisitive, thanks to TAFE Queensland
Voting Process
You may vote once for an Adult Category artwork, and once for a Youth Category artwork.
- Click on the individual images below to view an artwork, read the artist statement, and reveal their voting link.
- To vote you must fill out the form and provide your real name and email address for confirmation.
- A confirmation email will be sent to your nominated email address to confirm your vote. You will need to click ‘confirm vote’ to validate and confirm your submission. If you do not confirm your vote through this email your vote will not be valid.
In 2020 the Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA) celebrates 10 years, a decade of rewarding and celebrating Queensland regional arts and the wealth of creativity and imagination thriving in the regions.
The QRAA is an annual visual arts prize and exhibition for established and emerging artists living in regional and remote Queensland. The program aims to provide a platform for further professional development. The Queensland Regional Art Awards is open to all Queensland artists living outside of the Brisbane City Council area.
Theme: Decadence
Decadence may invite notions of luxury and self-indulgence. It may evoke ideas of wanton excess or wastefulness, perhaps with a casual or deliberate disregard of consequence. Dependent on circumstance, personal definitions of decadence can shift quite suddenly.
Artists are encouraged to explore the complex notion of decadence within their own communities and households across Queensland – both in times of shortage, and in times of plenty.
Adult Category – Click on individual images to view and vote
These Are The Days of the Endless Dancing (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Margo Miranda, 2020
Artist Location: Castaways Beach
Medium: Textile and found objects
Dimensions: 11 x 18 x 5 cm
Artist Statement:
My artwork – a stitched and embroidered textile book – makes simple comment on decadence and its place in the human condition. Man has always needed adornment for power, pleasure and a love of beauty. Today we see apparel industry plunder the resources of the planet for cheap throw-away fashion – all destined for landfill. We know it’s wrong but we can’t stop participating in this very decadent industry.
My art practice is informed by the duality in life. The book’s centerpiece is a tribute to the opposite of decadence – thrift, frugality and the conserving of resources. I find the darning of this vintage textile moving; with a very tender beauty.
The stitched lyrics from Van Morrison’s “These are the days” give context to ideas around decadence and its consequences. While decadence is universal, Queensland is referenced in the colour Maroon and it’s latin motto – “audax at fidelis” – bold but faithful.
Photographer: Sarah Smith
Lantana Hills no. 1 (Vote for this Artwork)
Jenny Neubecker, 2020
Artist Location: Waterloo
Medium: Pastel, graphite and collage on canvas
Dimensions: 95 x 62 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
Queensland’s relentless, hot, dry summers strip the life out of the landscape. Soft pastures and rolling hills wisely surrender to the harsh conditions of summer. For month after month the bleached landscape waits patiently and uncomfortably for that first summer rain.
When it finally comes grasses, that seem to be barely clinging to life, burst vigorously into new growth and the landscape erupts into masses of vivid greens. Soon after, other plant species emerge prolifically to join the grasses and the landscape is brushed with swathes of the rich, decadent purples and mauves of creeping lantana. Every living thing seems to rush frantically to grow, flower and seed then bask in some short-lived decadence knowing, and waiting for, the cycle of dry and wet that will inevitably follow.
Photographer: Jenny Neubecker
Casuistry Extreme
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Yanni Van Zijl, 2020
Artist Location: Sunshine Beach
Medium: Video
Dimensions: Variable
Artist Statement:
Casuistry – the resolving of moral problems by the application of theoretical rules to particular instances.
Extreme – from drought to the depths of despair.
Casuistry Extreme is a film that creates an engagement about humans relationship between our actions and the events that are the consequences.
“Wanton excess or wastefulness. Perhaps casual or deliberate disregard of consequence.”This film is about mankind’s accountability for the environment.
In the latest Intergovernmental Panel on climate change we were warned that we have 12 years to act in order to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees.
In Australia, fire, flood, and drought are more prevalent than ever before.
We are currently in a climate emergency, Australia has just experienced nine out of ten of the highest temperatures since 2005.
Yanni has used herself as the canvas on which to represent the extremes of landscape and our impact on the environment.
Photographer: Yanni Van Zijl
Degeneration of our coffee culture (Vote for this Artwork)
Beatrice Prost, 2020
Artist Location: Tinbeerwah
Medium: Print on canvas
Dimensions: 90 x 60 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
Where are we going with our degenerated obsession of coffee intake? It is not enough that humans pollute the world with their take away plastic cups. Now comes the era of aluminium capsules.
As I am working toward a large installation made of thousands of recycled aluminium coffee capsules, it amazes me how easy and fast it is to gather them locally. The irresponsible coffee aficionados feel good with the so call excuse that aluminium is cheap and ubiquitous, that it can be remelted ad infinitum and that the capsules can be recycled anyhow. But are they really? Have you ever tried to separate the grind from its capsule? I dare you especially when it is old and moulded. It is a messy, expensive, energy and time consuming business. A simpler way is to stop using them.
Photographer: Beatrice Prost
Rivers, Creeks & Streams
Kylie Stevens, 2020
Artist Location: Pine Mountain
Medium: River water, copper leaf, earth, charcoal and acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 91 x 5 cm
Artist Statement:
Witnessing our waterways treated with decadence, becoming polluted and chocked dry, leads me to showcase them highlighting the beauty and alchemy of nature, inspiring in the viewer a deeper respect for and desire to protect our precious natural spaces.
River water thins my paint, allowing it to pool and travel across the canvas. With the addition of ochres collected from my property and ground charcoal the canvas is marked, giving control to the river itself in this stage of the work. Then, with intent and precision, I map the river in charcoal and copper leaf upon the richly-textured surface. Using the natural elements of river water and earth, the work contains the essence of the place it represents.
I am an Ipswich-based artist working with and within the environment. My diverse multimedia arts practice allows me the flexibility to express my deep connection with, and reverence for, nature.
Photographer: Kylie Stevens
Deconstruction (Vote for this Artwork)
Priscilla Warren, 2020
Artist Location: Cedar Creek
Medium: Mixed medium on board
Dimensions: 120 x 90 x 3 cm
Artist Statement:
We’ve been scorched
We’ve become world weary
The filters of self indulgence
And social media
Have peeled away
We’ve seen, we can’t unsee
We’ve lived a decadent lifestyle
And came through the other side
The self reflection is harsh
We don’t want to move back
And yet we have no
Certainty of what’s ahead.
Photographer: Priscilla Warren
Grandma’s Gravy Boat (Vote for this Artwork)
Grant Quinn, 2020
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Digital photograph
Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
What started as a gesture of kindness, a simple gravy boat, handed down to me from my grandmother. Little was I to know, that this simple gravy boat would begin my journey and decadent obsession of becoming a collector. Having lived and worked throughout Regional Qld from Goondiwindi to Blackwater to Ipswich, Grandma’s Gravy boat was always with me. Reminding me of my need to explore thrift stores, op shops, antique stores and more. Searching for that elusive piece that finishes a collection, or starts a new one. Pieces that tell a story. Stories of family, of love, of tragedy, of life, and like the memories I have of my grandmother and her white gravy boat with the navy blue stripe.
Photographer: Grant Quinn
Sunset Over Purga (Vote for this Artwork)
Grant Quinn, 2020
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Digital photograph
Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
Louis Armstrong once sang “What A Wonderful World”.
We live in a world full of hope, but over time, society has taken our world for granted. A world of decadent greed, a world that seems to spend to much time pointing the finger of blame, instead of working towards positive solutions. Topics such as climate change, emissions and waste being top on the agenda, but we need to step up, together, and make this world a better place, not just for us now, but for the generations to come. If we all make a change, we can continue to see our world at the end of each day, as it should be, one beautiful sunset after another.
Photographer: Grant Quinn
Ekka Icon (Vote for this Artwork)
Glen Smith, 2020
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Acrylic on Board
Dimensions: 33 x 28 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
Decadence; The process of falling into an inferior state of moral decay. I have to admit I suffer this state of mind every year when the Brisbane Exhibition, commonly known as the Ekka comes around. For its my love and desire for the Strawberry Ice-creams you can only get at the Ekka that drives me into a frenzy mess that I have to travel over two hours on a train, pay ludicrous amounts of money and suffer the pushing and shoving of the crowded show allies just so I can get my yearly fix of the delicious treat. I never leave the show grounds without devouring at least 4 ice-creams before facing another 2-hour trip home. So as simple as it seems the Ekka Strawberry Ice cream is my decadent secret desire and this painting gives homage to the iconic Strawberry Ice-cream Cone.
Photographer: Glen Smith
Decadence 2020: The Hug (Vote for this Artwork)
Lee FullARTon, 2020
Artist Location: Blackstone
Medium: Acrylic inks and ink on Watercolour paper
Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
For me the perception of Decadence made a significant shift in 2020.
COVID-19 restrictions cut my connections to nature and loved ones.
These aspects of connection that I engaged in freely prior to lockdown moved to the notion of indulgence when given an opportunity to seek nature and be with love ones.
Those moments are small, pure, fragile and golden.
Photographer: Lee FullARTon
An abundance of water (Vote for this Artwork)
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Elisha Habermann, 2020
Artist Location: Gracemere
Medium: Digital photograph and audio
Dimensions: Variable
Artist Statement:
Droplets of gold. Sunlight glistening through a steady spray of water as the sun slowly sinks in the west. It is the dry season; the grass is dying. But we have an abundance of water, so every second afternoon, I turn on the sprinkler and water the lawn. It feels quite decadent in a state that is experiencing drought across 67.4% of its land area.
I have been exploring still photography enhanced by sound of late. It intrigues me. There is something a little odd about hearing motion but seeing non. I choose to photograph my subject matter with a grainy film filter. I like the texture and the noise. I am not interested in technical perfection, I am interested in composition, shape, texture and contrast. With this specific work, I moved in close, to the point of abstraction, with the focus on the water droplets glistening in the sun.
Photographer: Elisha Habermann
Group (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Barbara Pierce, 2019
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Mixed media
Dimensions: 29 x 38 x 5 cm
Artist Statement:
During the period of the current pandemic we have had isolation imposed upon us. Combining isolation at home – physically separating or distancing from each other – with restrictions on our movements has provided more time for reflection on our surroundings and circumstances.
These individual small works brought together as a group have qualities in common: restraint, separateness, a connection to shelter and each other also the use of household materials and acrylic paint. The pieces tied with string have recorded respectively the measurements of: a table top, cupboard, and window perimeters.
A stitched folded and tied piece of tablecloth secures the tongue of a shoe in one piece while collage pieces are attached to the outside of another ‘shelter’ shape. It seems decadent that the pandemic has given the luxury of time in which to contemplate our household surroundings whilst the full blown horror of it all unfolds somewhere.
Photographer: Barbara Pierce
Seagull and Crane – a traditional Lardil story from Mornington Island
Joelene Roughsey, 2020
Artist Location: Gununa, Mornington Island
Medium: Acrylic on linen
Dimensions: 101.5 x 101 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
This Traditional story shows that avoiding responsibility and assuming a decadent, privileged attitude and being a bully will result in some real consequences. This story is told often here on island.
Seagull and Crane – A traditional Lardil story from Mornington Island
On peaceful Bende Reef, out from Biberr, lived the Seagull Woman and her husband, the Crane Man and their little baby. The Crane Man would go out hunting for fish, oysters, and crabs. Sometimes he’d bring back a little bit of food for the family, but not always.
One day when he did come back with food, Crane said to his wife, “Well, Seagull, you gotta get up and cook now. I got some food here for you to cook and it’s my turn to have a rest.” And, then he went and laid down. Sometimes he would just eat his catch out there where he was hunting, and sometimes he didn’t come back at all. One time he was gone for three years.
After three years he walked back up and said, “Hey, it’s me. I’ve come back.” Seagull Woman was not impressed. Seagull Woman took the baby on her little walpa (raft) and dragged it along, dragged it along with the rope.
And she dragged, and she dragged it round and round and round. Cutting deep channels into the land until the water flooded in. While she dragged that walpa she sang that lajirambena (lullaby) song. And so she separated the islands from the mainland by creating those channels of water.
Some people say that Seagull Woman also put a curse on the Crane Man. Because nowadays the Crane can only hunt in shallow water. But Seagull Woman, she’s strong. She can hunt on the open sea, she can fly around and dive, and she can hunt in shallow water or deep water. She has a big family and can look after herself.
Photographer: MIART Mornington Island Art
Nutjobs (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Karen Benjamin, 2020
Artist Location: Redland
Medium: Acrylic on gumnuts
Dimensions: 11 x 50 x 28 cm
Artist Statement:
The rate of suicide is higher in regional and remote areas of Queensland. The area that I live in (Metro South) has recorded 443 suicides or suspected suicides for the 2016-2018 period. Forty nine point two percent (49.2%) of these suicides have been people who showed no previous mental health issues (According to the Queensland 2019 Annual Suicide Report).
The gumnut gnomes I have used represent 74 lives lost in a 12 month period who showed no signs of previous mental health issues.
One of the dictionary descriptions describes decadence as a “state of low standards in society, social decay.” Perhaps a kinder society, one that doesn’t have to wear the stigma that is associated with mental illness and more support for regional areas could help save lives.
Photographer: Karen Benjamin
Privileged Irony (Vote for this Artwork)
John Ashall, 2020
Artist Location: Townsville
Medium: Oil on board
Dimensions: 60 x 75 x 0.4 cm
Artist Statement:
The Merriam – Webster dictionary defines decadence as “the process of becoming decadent” or “a period of decline.”
Consequently, the “process of becoming decadent” is marked by decay or decline within an increasingly decadent society.
I felt the standard definition of “moral or cultural decline as characterised by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury” to be somewhat pedestrian and dependent on one’s personal circumstances.
My work embraces the concept that the abundance we enjoy in our bountiful country can often desensitise us to desperate situations existing elsewhere.
I found inspiration in a quote from the novelist Thomas Pynchon whose works combine black humour and fantasy to depict human alienation in the chaos of modern society.
“To have humanism we must first be convinced of our humanity. As we move further into decadence this becomes more difficult.” Thomas Pynchon
Photographer: John Ashall
Pause
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Renee Yates, 2019
Artist Location: East Ipswich
Medium: Animation
Dimensions: Variable cm
Artist Statement:
Pause (2019) reflects the decadent nature of seeking stillness in a society that so often venerates the busy. A moving-image streetscape, the work invites viewers to “take a pause” and explore the intricacies of the world that are often missed in the hustle and bustle of modern life. Made in a pre-COVID world, the image’s audio-visual elements, comprising of field recordings and subtle animation of clouds, planes, birds, chimney smoke, flickering lights and falling jacaranda blooms, pull the viewers into the decadence of standing still in a suburban world. On process: a series of hand cut painted paper collages, photographs, and pastel and charcoal strokes were digitised and arranged then animated then brought to life with a field recording of Queensland suburbia.
Photographer: Renee Yates
These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
Grant Quinn, 2020
Artist Location: Bundamba
Medium: Digital photograph
Dimensions: 73 x 58 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
With a passion for collecting, my decadent obsession started many years ago after being gifted a Wedgwood Gravy Boat by my Grandmother. I still have that gravy boat, sitting front and centre in my dining room display cabinet, but little was I to know that this simple gravy boat would lead to a life time of becoming a ‘mad collector’, driving miles in the search for that next bargain. Before I knew it, I became one of the torch light brigade bargain hunters, scouring markets, fairs and garage sales well before the sun came up. Seeking out that elusive piece to add to my already overflowing abundant decadent obsession.
Photographer: Grant Quinn
Black Tree Caligraphy II (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Rose Rigley, 2020
Artist Location: Whitfield
Medium: Mixed media (monoprint, acrylic paint, hand stitching, machine stitching, glue) on board
Dimensions: 110 x 86 x 5 cm
Artist Statement:
When considering the theme DECADENCE, I couldn’t navigate past the idea of self-indulgence and for me, (like many), that involves the luxury of time. Time allows an artwork to evolve, with no specific purpose other than the sheer joy of conceptualizing, discovering, and finally creating. Such a creation is enabled with methods that are often repetitive and occasionally tedious but permits the artist the luxury of pondering thoughts and long-drawn-out pauses.
In “Black Tree Calligraphy II”, the blackened husks of the tree bodies become memory’s text, creating their own language above the decadent orange and matt black surrounds. By placing the tree ‘words’ over this landscape, I could consider the space in between. It is this place – where shadows form, where silent pauses rest and where memories linger – that I am seeking to understand.
In today’s busy-ness, what an extravagance to be able to do so!
Photographer: Michael Marzik
Downtown Perspective (Vote for this Artwork)
Miriam Innes, 2020
Artist Location: Pie Creek
Medium: Charcoal on paper
Dimensions: 56 x 76 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
Distinguished as a decadence, to travel can be interrupted as a luxury. With sufficient funds in your back pocket to board a plane, fly across times zones, to see and experience another place, another culture. Travelling to familiar places, to gloat your experience through stories and images of sleepless club nights and daytime selfies before famous monuments on your social channels. Iconic places, cities like New York whose images are so known to us all that we can feel a part of the experience whether visited or not. What if your longed for ‘life-time’ experience of the city that never sleeps is realised as a city in a pandemic slumber, devoid of the very heart it boasts, a city preparing to shut down, whose people are at the mercy of fear and illness, your journey and life time opportunity crumbles before you, into isolation, helplessness and a bitter decadent memory.
Photographer: Miriam Innes
Distancing from proficiency (Vote for this Artwork)
Ilona Demecs, 2020
Artist Location: Imbil
Medium: Hand woven tapestry
Dimensions: 80 x 60 x 0.5 cm
Artist Statement:
The first land care practices such as cool burning established congruent living conditions for thousands of years on this land. Leaving behind those custom generates unliveable physical and emotional landscapes.
Photographer: Ilona Demecs
Roasted Coral Compote Topped with Whipped Cream (Vote for this Artwork)
Maharlina Gorospe-Lockie, 2020
Artist Location: Palm Cove
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 91.4 x 91.4 x 2.5 cm
Artist Statement:
Whipped cream elevates a dessert’s taste and appearance, an extra scoop of pleasure that is oftentimes best avoided but added anyway. My work aims to tease the viewer, like an indulgent dessert would; but upon closer inspection, there is a message and it is not palatable to the mind and sensibilities. A bleached brain coral towering over a reef of stunning colors is not a visual treat to behold, but a signal of stress that, if unchecked and further aggravated, could lead to the coral’s demise. Recent surveys on the Great Barrier Reef have shown the most severe and most widespread mass coral bleaching event in the region to date. We know for a fact that human induced climate change is the culprit, but tragically, we are too slow to do something about it. Would you prefer some whipped cream to go with that?
Photographer: Daniela Vavrova
Sources of love and light: waiting for dinner (Vote for this Artwork)
Adrienne Williams, 2020
Artist Location: Elliott Heads
Medium: Ink, graphite and 23.5 carat gold leaf on Arches paper
Dimensions: 22 x 50 x 50 cm
Artist Statement:
This ephemeral artist book is a tiny shrine to the studio and sofa companions who shine love and light into the lives of my artistic friends. As with so many artists, the upside-down events of this year removed most of my opportunities and with them, the lists of tasks and calendars of plans that give purpose and direction to studio time. At this moment, what is more decadent than play? What is more decadent than the luxury of having time to step out of the groove of a regular practice and play in the theatre of the absurd? The spheres of watercolour paper gifted to me, the gold leaf ordered in; engaging ‘first time’ tools. Suddenly there was purpose and direction! To lay precious metals across precious pet portraits was a joyful and ridiculous experience, connecting ten acts of love, to later be disassembled and gifted to the subjects’ humans.
Photographer: Sabrina Lauriston
Loot (Vote for this Artwork)
Raven Steele, 2020
Artist Location: Burnside
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 60.95 x 60.95 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
Mother Earth’s mystic order laid,
Glittering spoils of indulgence,
Chocolate luxury is splayed,
Focus calls forth propensity.
____________________________
Open to interpretation, decadence rails against learned values and behaviours as it confronts renewal, repair, rejuvenation and re purposing with immediate gratification and the subsequent costs of lost opportunities for reflection, thought gathering and ancestral appreciation.
Decadence removes the balance provided by peripheral vision as it clenches the hardened heart within a tightened, manipulated focus.
Essentially decadence is a sensory temptation that provides the promise of short-term gains without allowing for the consideration of the benefits of achieving long term goals.
Whilst our journeys change directions, pace and companions throughout time, decadence maintains a heady waft of “What if?” “What about?” and the self-obsessed ”Tell someone who cares!”
Photographer: Christopher White
Colourful Heaven (Vote for this Artwork)
Elise Higginson, 2020
Artist Location: Ayr
Medium: Acrylic, gesso, artist ink, canvas paper, metallic artist powder, black pen
Dimensions: 70 x 50 x 1.5 cm
Artist Statement:
To me, decadence means something luxurious; a dreamlike state of mind such as the experience of being in another galaxy.
Some people like to treat themselves with decadent foods, such as the indulgence of going into a candy store! To me, it’s all of the above.
I also believe that texture plays a big part in the idea of decadence. This is why, throughout my painting that I call “Colourful Heaven,” I have plenty of differently textured surfaces to give it a heavenly, dreamlike state. It’s like walking on sand into lapping waves. Or could it be the delightful hues of a decadently coloured butterfly emerging from its chrysalis? Or perhaps there is a mermaid in this picture?
It invites a world full of endless imagination…the only limit to my art work is in the viewers mind. I want my painting to take people on their own unique visual journey.
Photographer: Quinten Swaffield
Seriously-Decadent? (Vote for this Artwork)
Andrew Linklater, 2020
Artist Location: Kewarra Beach
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 120 x 60 x 6 cm
Artist Statement:
Decadence today seems very often to refer to wonderful visually-appealing, rich food, but it holds an association with an earlier lifestyle in a society steeped in class compared to today. That we can snub our noses at historical times or a child might indicate their displeasure of the past by tipping an ice cream on the head of an important person are in itself acts of decadence.
I have tried to capture this concept in a way which might make the viewer consider how far society has come.
Photographer: Andrew Linklater
Our Cup Runneth Over (Vote for this Artwork)
Paul de Zubicaray, 2020
Artist Location: Albany Creek
Medium: Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas
Dimensions: 60 x 30 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
To me, decadence stirs up thoughts of personal indulgence, luxury, abundance. It can also be defined as a moral or cultural decline.
When I considered this topic I immediately thought of the waste and thoughtlessness associated with decadence. What natural resources did we once take for granted? The choice was simple. Water. The image of a running tap to me represents extravagance that can no longer be afforded when 67% of remote and regional Queensland is drought affected. Total decadence and indulgence and deliberate disregard of consequences. My aim was to paint an image that would provoke thought and emotion in this regard, therefore the brass tap with a gold façade.
Photographer: Paul de Zubicaray
Tunes of Opulence (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Nora Hanasy, 2020
Artist Location: Zilzie
Medium: Found Object Assemblage on Violin
Dimensions: 60 x 27 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
A defining symbol of decadence is a fondness of nonsensical extravagance’ – Robert Silverberg. But could our desire for opulence have a positive side? Isn’t it exactly that desire that is pushing us to overcome limitations in innovation, investing time and money in artists, designers, and architects to create marvels beyond our wildest imaginations? Frivolous, wasteful and mind-blowingly expensive? Yes, but our yearning for objects of beauty painstakingly designed and executed by master craftspeople over hundreds and thousands of hours is an irresistible temptation. Possessing extravagance and innovation has been part of history, became a part of our identity, and responsible for the development of cultures.
Photographer: Nora Hanasy
Decadence – a story of Cultural Decline (Vote for this Artwork)
Kym Tabulo, 2020
Artist Location: Mooloolah Valley
Medium: Digital print on canvas
Dimensions: 84.1 x 59.4 x 3 cm
Artist Statement:
Why a comics cover? I hope to motivate you to think about the real meaning of decadence and to consider your personal experiences and cultural stories regarding this theme. My thoughts are portrayed in this image. This energetic graphic artwork combines my fascination with abstract art and vibrant comics. To do this, I work in layers and begin with my original abstract paintings, drawings and photographs, which I scan and digitally combine. There are over thirty layers in this work. Once I am happy with the composition, I flatten the image into one layer and have it expertly printed onto the canvas with an archival quality finish. This 21st Century process that combines traditional and digital mediums is fascinating and provides me with endless possibilities.
Photographer: Kym Tabulo
The Gift – An Abundance of Time (Vote for this Artwork)
Gail Meyer, 2020
Artist Location: North Rockhampton
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 93 x 61 x 3 cm
Artist Statement:
During COVID-19 lockdown times, I received a gift of an artfully beautiful coffee cup and spoon set within a decorative gold box. I decided to enjoy using this cup. Usually, I would have displayed the delicate coffee set to just look at and admire, but instead, I took the luxury of the gift and used it daily.
Sitting on my back deck and gazing out over the surrounding vista, I gave to myself an excessive amount of every morning to relax, drink coffee, eat chocolate, cherry and strawberry treats from a stacked servery plate.
Also with the coffee and chocolate at hand, I indulged in drawing a display of delicately withering sunflowers, which as the days passed, became even more artistically beautiful in their decaying shapes.
Such self indulgence with the luxury of time, tastes and creative pursuits – pure decadence for oneself.
Photographer: Gail Meyer
We are all looking for angels or something to hold onto (Vote for this Artwork)
Loralee Jade, 2020
Artist Location: Peregian Beach
Medium: Oil on linen
Dimensions: 91.44 x 60.96 x 3.8 cm
Artist Statement:
We are all looking for angels or something to hold onto’ was created from a combination of, a preference for what is beautiful and an endeavour to give sensation. A hope of solidifying feelings of one moment, in order to preserve and keep them from inevitable decay. However it takes more than just one moment to preserve the very heat and motion of life. ‘We are all looking for angels or something to hold onto’ is a woven few oscillating between forwards and backwards. At times it’s like a decaying hole or deterioration and other times it is clear, solid and moving forward. In the same way that things get worn or tarnished, the feet of statues when devotion calls for repetitive touch. Or photographs of warm dirty hues that are folded and unfolded. Or clothes getting worn in at the knees and elbows from hugging and bending. It is this tarnishing of love that through retreating back and pulling forward creates a foggy displacement. This beautiful process of decay is mirrored in the putting down just to take traces away. Rather than explicit somethings, ‘We are all looking for angels or something to hold onto’ is woven impressions and suggestions of decadent moments grasped and held together in place.
Photographer: Loralee Jade
End of Decedence (Vote for this Artwork)
Jasna Spiranovic, 2020
Artist Location: City of Gold Coast
Medium: Mixed media and collage on paper
Dimensions: 90 x 80 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
I have been working on a series of work in responce to the COVID-19 pandemic. My focus has been on the word “Cancelled” as so many events have been cancelled; weddings, operas, functions , conferences, elective surgeries, festivals , jobs businesses and so on. Consequently, I’ve been questioning is this the beginning of the of the End of Decedence? Our behaviours have had to change as a society to adapt to this new world. In my art work I have torn up my mono prints and monotypes and collaged them into a drawing trying to make sense of thie old world and the new world of now.
Fragments of art work represent the fragments of life transformed into some sort of puzzle in progress as we live each day with unpredictable moments giving way to the End of Decedance in order to function and stay safe.
Photographer: Jasna Spiranovic
From the Glen (Vote for this Artwork)
Toni Rogers, 2020
Artist Location: Kuranda
Medium: Textile
Dimensions: 90 x 90 x 5 cm
Artist Statement:
This decadent cloak has been made using Elliottdale carpet wool. Elliottdale sheep have been the mainstay of the carpet industry in Australia for many decades. Today with the collapse of carpet manufacturing, flock numbers have decreased considerably and only approximately 300 ewes were recently recorded throughout Australia. This raw fleece came from the property ‘Fairy Glen,’ Collinsvale, Tasmania.
The physical richness of the environment provides the raw materials and the inspiration for my artwork. I have developed a hybrid blend of the traditional and the contemporary to define my signature style. I am passionate about natural fibre and the hand woven.
I marry sustainability and design with a low key pallet and a light-hearted approach.
I love the playfulness of working with different materials and my blend of cultures has provided me with a large design vocabulary.
Photographer: Toni Rogers
summa prospectum ex, inferno itur (Vote for this Artwork)
Cara-Ann Simpson, 2020
Artist Location: Toogoom
Medium: Pigment print on Ilford gold fibre gloss rag
Dimensions: 76 x 76 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
summa prospectum ex, inferno itur (the view from the top is the path to hell) is from Furari Flores (Stealing Flowers) – a series of vanitas artworks exploring ephemerality and societal decay.
This series acts as a nexus between commentary on personal challenges and an outward interpretation of global news. They are an ironic reminder of the innate beauty found simultaneously in decadence and decay.
Just as the vanitas still life paintings became vanitas (vanity of vanities) objects themselves through the irony of being collectible commodities, so too does this series. Cut flowers and subsequent development of art objects are in themselves a decadence and luxury that few can afford. Behind this more obvious symbolism, is another incorporated through the spectrograph (visual analysis of sound) and composition – the luxury of good health, another vanity unnoticed until it is lost. While we stand at the summit, rarely do we realise that the only way forward is down.
Photographer: Cara-Ann Simpson
Paradise Lost (Vote for this Artwork)
Amanda Dickson, 2020
Artist Location: Maroochy River
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 76 x 101 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
The word ‘decadence’ probably won’t be associated with 2020; however, having escaped illness, unemployment and homelessness, my family’s life could be considered decadent by those who have been touched by tragedy. The biggest loss we suffered was the cancellation of our annual family holiday camping on Masthead Island. Nothing devastating, but to us this holiday is everything – it binds our souls as a family. Two weeks of snorkelling, living on the beach, in touch with tide and moon cycles. No housework, homework, cars, internet; no care for the world… cancelled due to lockdown. We grieved and felt guilty for grieving as we watched the horror unfold overseas. We understood how lucky we were, which made our grief seem petty. It seemed decadent to mourn our island holiday, making it the perfect subject matter for my work.
Photographer: Amanda Dickson
The Blue Lion Spectacle (Vote for this Artwork)
Anitha Menon, 2020
Artist Location: Rockhampton
Medium: Oil and paper on canvas
Dimensions: 100 x 75 x 3 cm
Artist Statement:
Even the placid complacency of a regional home is not beyond the enchanting avatars of a make-believe world of consumerism. The scramble over some rare Lion King Ooshies like Blue Mufasa and Orange Simba last year had its ripple effect in Queensland too. Today, the market is king and consumer its slave. Too many offers, options and many dreams to sell – these aspects have led to market dominance on daily lives to the extent that consumer entitlement, judgement and wastage have become commonplace and a way of life in societies, big or small.
Decadence is chaos of thoughts and actions in a market-driven world… a state of trance, pleasure and carelessness…. decay starting from the roots…over influence of social media… a lack of care for the environment. It happens gradually… merging the virtual and customised world with the real, for kids and adults alike, and the King watches on.
Photographer: Anitha Menon
Two Boys and Two Devils – a traditional Yangkaal story from Forsyth Island (Vote for this Artwork)
John Williams, 2020
Artist Location: Gununa, Mornington Island
Medium: Acrlic on Belgian linen
Dimensions: 102 x 102 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
This Traditional story tells about how greediness and disrespect always come back to bite you on the bum. This is a cautionary tale and is also one of the important dances and songs of the Lardil people here on Mornington Island.
Two Boys and Two Devils – a traditional Yangkaal story from Forsyth Island
A long time ago on Gurraben Reef off Forsyth Island, two little boys were making a fire with firesticks. Up above, two malgarn (devil-birds) were singing out, “Wii!”
The two boys heard them and mocked them, singing out, “Wii!”
The two malgarn again sang out, “Wii!”
And the two boys again copied them – “Wii!”
Then the malgarn sang out louder, “Wii!”
And the two boys again copied them – “Wii!”
And again, the malgarn sang out even louder, “Wii!”
And again, the two boys copied them, singing out even louder, “Wii!”
The malgarn jumped down and grabbed those two boys and wrapped them up in a net. They dragged the net south onto a sandbank. One malgarn said, “Come over here, let the two boys lay down there in the net. You and I can go to the point and make some firesticks.”They left the boys tied up in the net near the ocean in the south-west and went to the north-east to try and make a fire to cook them.
The malgarn rubbed their firesticks, jila, jila, jila, jila! They started to get fire. They rubbed again, but the fire wouldn’t start. Maltha (nothing). Meanwhile, the two boys were still on the sandbank, struggling to escape from the net.
“Have you got anything like a knife or tomahawk to cut this net?” asked one boy. “No,” replied the other boy, “but look! I’ve got a bottle here beside me!” “Well, that’s alright,” said the first boy, “Go on, cut it with the bottle!” So, he tore and cut at the net until he made his way out.
The first boy was still inside, looking to see how far away the malgarn are. He was worried they would see them escape. The other boy reassured him, “They’re far away, far off to the east.”
“You go out first, then I’ll come out after you.” The first boy came out then and together they rolled down the sandbank. Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, right into the saltwater. They swam and they swam, all the way west back to Forsyth Island. The two malgarn were still trying to make fire.
“Right,” said one, “Go and get them now. We’ll eat while it’s still light.” The other malgarn went and looked. He called out “Hey, there’s nothing here! No boys! They’ve gone!” “Get them!” said the first malgarn, “Don’t hide them! I won’t give you any. Get my food!” “They’re not here,” said the other one, “Look, there’s nothing!”
“Get them! Don’t hide that food of mine. I want to eat them. Don’t hide them for no reason!” “They’re not here! You look for them!” The first, malgarn started heading to the north-east, ready for a fight. He picked up the net and looked in every corner. The two boys were really gone.
Of course, the two malgarn blamed each other for losing the boys. And then of course they started fighting. They fought each other all over the place – in the west and north and south and east. While they were fighting shooting stars fell down into the ocean. Well, when they finally had enough of fighting, the two malgarn thought that maybe they should try looking for the boys.
“Come on, you go to the north side and I’ll go to the south side.” While they were looking, they sang a song in Yangkaal. “Danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra, danda gurra. Danda warrirr!”
After a while two malgarn still hadn’t found any sign of the two boys. They took off and flew over Robert Island and back to Forsyth Island in search of the boys. They landed on a sandbank at Marragadba, wandered around to the west and did durlda (shit) there. The people saw those malgarn in the west and quickly sent the boys to the east side. But then the malgarn went east too. “Here they are on the east side, wandering around. Hide the children, those boys. Hide them all!”
They did their best to hide the children, but the malgarn must have heard them, because next thing they flew over and landed right there in the middle of the people’s camp. The malgarn asked the people, “Are our good ones here? The ones who ran here a little while ago?” “We don’t have anyone,” the people replied. “Don’t hide them! Don’t hide them! yelled the malgarn. “Get my devil’s children! Get my children!”
The people were worried, so they bring out one little child to offer to the malgarn. “This is the one, right? This one?” “No, that one’s bad, he has a big stomach. That one’s yours, he’s bad.”
They brought out another child. “Is it this one?” “That one’s bad too. He’s bad, with a skinny body.”
They brought out two more children. “How about these two?” “No, those are your bad ones, leave them. Those are bad, they’ve got skinny bodies.”
They brought out two more children. “How about these two?” “No, those are your bad ones, leave them. Those are bad, they’ve got skinny bodies.” The malgarn explained exactly what they were looking for. Eventually the people were forced to bring out the two boys who had escaped from the devils’ net. “How about these two people?”
“Yes, those are ours,” the malgarn said. “Bring them up!” Well, the people weren’t so silly as to give their boys away that easily. “Righto!” said one of the men, “Before you take these boys, go over there and shake-a-leg.” The malgarn started to shake-a-leg, because by now they were ready to do anything to be able to eat those two delicious boys. But the people continued with their plan …
“Go on, put your legs wider apart,” they said. “Open your legs.” The two malgarn opened their legs wider still, and the men all speared them. The malgarn were writhing in pain. And then they flew straight up into the sky with the white spears sticking out behind them. And they kept on going up until they disappeared out of sight.
Photographer: MIART Mornington Island Art
‘Down Down’: Are Good Things Happening (Vote for this Artwork)
Sandra Ross, 2020
Artist Location: Gympie
Medium: Mixed Media
Dimensions: 83 x 59 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
Over 25,000 products sit on the shelves of Coles stores every day waiting for us to choose and purchase. This astonishing realisation motivated me to draw attention to the incredible excess and indulgence humans display in something considered a necessity.
Drawing upon reoccurring themes of mountainous forms in my artwork, I have used ink and watercolour on paper to paint an organic form sitting in a nest-like tangle of dead clear-felled forest. One almost lifeless tree clings precariously to the edge as a metaphor for the destruction of our environment in order to satisfy greedy desires.
Upon closer view it becomes surprising to find tiny subtle text following the contours of the organic form. Written are the names of a mere 5% of the products, further emphasising how decadent our options have become in the choices of flavour, type, colour, size and brand.
Are good things happening…
Photographer: Jazmyn Bowman
Shimmering Gold, 2020 (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Paul Perry, 2020
Artist Location: Bargara
Medium: Ceramic and glass tiles on reinforced paper bag
Dimensions: 50 x 34 x 14 cm
Artist Statement:
Who will forget 2020 and the impact of the Corona virus on our lifestyle, especially in Regional Queensland? Further isolated within isolation; only dressing up to put the rubbish bins out, zooming into our smart screens for social relief… when the flaky internet connection allows, peering out our front window and sharing the view. Even our beloved shopping trips restricted and under strict social isolation conditions. Now I understand the goldfish dilemma.
This calls for decadence! A shimmering facade for the isolated goldfish, no matter which angle you take. Glistening, glittering, and even glowing! Makes one feel much better.
But at the core, it’s still just life in a paper bag!
Photographer: Sabrina Lauriston
Rainbow (Vote for this Artwork)
Aaron Chapman, 2019
Artist Location: Southport
Medium: Giclee print
Dimensions: 44 x 112 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
In ‘Rainbow,’ the artist indulges his own memories of an Australian childhood, evoking the taste of ice-creams on summer holidays and the sound of lorikeets. Ultimately, the diptych mourns the colourful imagination of childhood innocence. ‘Rainbow’ is from Purple is Black Blooming, an ongoing series exploring themes of home, family, memory and grief primarily through the observation of suburban environments.
Photographer: Aaron Chapman
Gentleman’s Club on 8th Avenue (Vote for this Artwork)
Uli Liessmann, 2020
Artist Location: Home Hill
Medium: Oil on paper
Dimensions: 70 x 60 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
Dulcie dream had come true and now she was proud to be able to tread the cat walk in the luxurious Men’s Club on 8th Avenue. With an ever-self-indulging audience with scant concern to the pandemic and social distancing.
Photographer: Uli Liessmann
Black Tree Caligraphy I
Rose Rigley, 2020
Artist Location: Whitfield
Medium: Mixed media (monoprint, ink, ink wash, hand stitching, machine stitching, glue) on board
Dimensions: 105 x 76 x 3 cm
Artist Statement:
When considering the theme DECADENCE, I couldn’t navigate past the idea of self-indulgence and for me, (like many), that involves the luxury of time. Time allows an artwork to evolve, with no specific purpose other than the sheer joy of conceptualizing, discovering, and finally creating. Such a creation is enabled with methods that are often repetitive and occasionally tedious but permits the artist the luxury of pondering thoughts and long-drawn-out pauses.
In “Black Tree Calligraphy I”, the blackened husks of the tree bodies become memory’s text, creating their own language above the printed, drawn and stitched surrounds. By placing the tree ‘words’ over this landscape, I could consider the space in between. It is this place – where shadows form, where silent pauses rest and where memories linger – that I am seeking to understand.
In today’s busy-ness, what an extravagance to be able to do so!
Photographer: Michael Marzik
Decadence
Angela Heffer, 2020
Artist Location: Kawana
Medium: Digital illustration
Dimensions: 35 x 35 x 0 cm
Artist Statement:
The first thing I thought about when I read the title ‘Decadence,’ was an overindulgence in fine food. Immediately, I pictured a group of women I had seen enjoying themselves at a local cafe prior to the COVID-19 social restrictions being enforced. I had made a sketch at the time, so with a little imagination I embellished the scene to show two ladies of the ‘Red hat’ society partaking in a high tea.
Older women in rural and regional Australia have collectively experienced a lot of hard times and grief. They have also volunteered many hours helping those less fortunate than themselves. For these reasons, I believe they deserve a little decadence in their lives.
My digital illustration was made by drawing with an Apple Pencil on iPad Pro. I used a 6mm fine black tip then filled in the shapes with solid, decadent colours using the illustrator application.
Photographer: Angela Heffer
Inside Tension (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Seinileva Huakau, 2020
Artist Location: Mundubbera
Medium: Textile
Dimensions: 84.5 x 63.5 x 1.5 cm
Artist Statement:
Inside Tension represents an intergenerational memory of creating objects and the balance traditional and contemporary weaving in the Pacific diaspora. The piece is woven out of readily accessible bargain shop ribbon, reclaimed plastic buttons and discounted feathers which are the hoarded remnants of her family’s sewing. This necklace can be worn but these usually adorn picture frames of people who have passed; however she framed her work thus acknowledging the art and skill of her predecessors. By doing so she preserves the memory and skill of her teachers as well as acknowledging the land she lives on.
Photographer: Seinileva Huakau
A Morally Corrosive Substance (Vote for this Artwork)
Carson Smith, 2019
Artist Location: Highfields
Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas over wood frame
Dimensions: 76.5 x 61 x 4 cm
Artist Statement:
Decadence is typically associated with an over-indulgence or excessive use of something. It can also suggest falling standards, especially morals.
An addiction can be defined as the inability to stop consuming a substance, or conducting an activity, even though it is causing psychological and/or physical harm.
We are aware of the harmful effects of an addiction to drugs, but what about the harmful effects of an addiction to money?
For we have developed a venal culture in which the accumulation of excessive wealth is applauded, and conspicuous consumption is encouraged. A culture where civic ideals such as equality and justice are increasingly just hollow slogans. The failure to guard against our own avarice and to protect the common good however, is symptomatic of our moral decay.
Money, it seems the more you have, the more you want… and that is an addiction.
Money – the gateway drug to decadence.
Photographer: Kerwin Ross
Meet Lenny (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Suzanne Furness, 2020
Artist Location:
Medium: Textile
Dimensions: 120 x 72 x 1 cm
Artist Statement:
Meet Lenny. During the day Lenny becomes Leonard, a Queensland Chief Executive Officer who is still wearing a full business suit and highly polished brogues for his ZOOM meetings. But at night he transforms into Lenny – freewheeling, colourful, decadent and so happy despite COVID-19.
Photographer: Suzanne Furness
Rise (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Amber Countryman, 2020
Artist Location: Rockhampton
Medium: Fine black leather, cast sterling silver.
Dimensions: 4 x 26 x 23 cm
Artist Statement:
In this artwork I am acknowledging the situations I have let myself fall into simply by not standing my ground. I have formed a habit of keeping others happy, disregarding my own wellbeing and begging for approval. While I continue to build strength and know myself better, I am aware that habits are hard to break and I need to firm up personal boundaries. My solution is this stylish knee attire, using the fear of physical self-harm to prevent the inevitable emotional self-harm, made with these lavish materials to remind myself that I am worth it, that I am not here to play the submissive role any longer, I deserve better.
Photographer: Amber Countryman
Me Time
Emma Thorp, 2020
Artist Location: Hervey Bay
Medium: Coloured Pencil over Acrylic on Paper
Dimensions: 69 x 47 x 0.29 cm
Artist Statement:
I happened upon a moment of awareness when I was being the typical martyr mother, sacrificing my own mental and emotional health to be what I thought was the best Mum I could be. I realised that I was not modelling a healthy balanced life for my children. I realised that making time for myself to feel fulfilled and happy made me a better mother and my children more independent. Here I am reading, surrounded by piles of washing, feeling oh so rebellious and decadent, safe in the knowledge that the washing will wait.
Photographer: Emma Thorp
A decadent moment (Vote for this Artwork)
Sue Shakeshaft, 2020
Artist Location: Logan
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 1.5 cm
Artist Statement:
I chose to create my interpretation of decadence using a combination of colours and energetic explosive mark making, which convey overindulgence and exuberance in an abstract and expressive way. I am influenced by the works of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. To me the process of flicking and throwing down splatters of thick paint over layers of wet paint created an overwhelming feeling of having a decedent self-indulgent moment.
Photographer: Sue Shakeshaft
All that Glitters (Vote for this Artwork)
Second Image of Artwork
Julie Field, 2019
Artist Location: Eumundi
Medium: Glazed ceramic
Dimensions: 21 x 30 x 11 cm
Artist Statement:
All that glitters is not gold, it could be a horse!! Acquired and bred in many countries as a status symbol, sign of power, wealth and hierarchy. The humble equine could be purchased one year for over 1 million dollars and the next, given away. It’s with their forever home they become priceless.
Photographer: Julie Field
Eyes Bigger Than The Valley (Vote for this Artwork)
Katie Whyte, 2020
Artist Location: Greenmount
Medium: Acrylic on glass panel
Dimensions: 51 x 76 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
In times of shortage for some and plenty for others, I feel that there is more than enough material opulence celebrated in our world. Instead, I chose to address decadence as an overindulgence of just one of our senses; vision.
Staying true to my arts practice of exploring how abstract shapes and colour evoke visual memory, I wanted to showcase the visual decadence of walking through the rural valley where I live, during the golden hour of a sunset. When the changing light affects the colours of our surroundings we are submerged in a new world momentarily. These colours prompt a physiological response in us in much the same way as rose tinted glasses. We feel good.
For me, valuing the connection of shared visual experience with others by taking in the splendour of the natural world around us, celebrates a decadence that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of material wealth.
Photographer: Katie Whyte
Daydreaming of lotuses
Ming How Chan, 2020
Artist Location: Rockhampton
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 70 x 95 x 2 cm
Artist Statement:
Coming from an academic tradition of oil painting from life, my current practice focuses on moments of silence that people experience. The moment you begin to drift into a daydream and reality begins to dissolve.
These moments feel harder to come by in our day and age, and taking time for oneself to just sit and be, becomes something indulgent and decadent, almost selfish.
The idea to take a bath long enough to daydream is a luxury many take for granted and many hardly consider.
Photographer: Ming How Chan