Artist Stavros Messinis has added another accolade to his list of achievements, awarded second place in the Fifty Squared Art Prize 2019 at the Brunswick Street Gallery for his piece ‘Sovereign Sun IX’.
Messinis’ entry was judged alongside 500 other submitted from across Australia by artists of all styles and experience levels no larger than 50x50cm.
“It was really a surprise,” said Messinis, “especially as there was such a large number of artworks submitted.”
Announced on Friday, the good news follows the recent distinction awarded to the artist for his new photographic book Dream State, which received the Best Photobook Design Award in a competition at the Centre for Contemporary Photography of Australia.
‘Sovereign Sun IX’ is part of Messinis’ series ‘Sovereign Sun’, which is inspired by his own poetic composition Έαρ το Πρώτο (1988) and based on photographs of the sun taken from the terrace of Melbourne’s Hamer Hall.
The series features brightly coloured circular compositions that illustrate light, spectrum and colour effects of separation, giving the impression of movement.
‘Sovereign Sun’ is part of Messinis’ ongoing exploration of photography and poetry that examines the possibilities of abstraction, colour, light, space and minimalism.
The exhibition is now on at the Brunswick Street Gallery until 24 January, 2019.