La Prairie Art Award 2022 Atong Atem

The inaugural recipient of the La Prairie Art Award is Melbourne-based artist Atong Atem for her work A yellow dress, a bouquet 2022.

In her sequential self-portrait, Atem alludes to classical Western painting traditions through her postures and the symmetry of the group. Yet Atem also maintains what she refers to as a ‘decidedly African, postcolonial aesthetic style’ through her emphatic use of colour and texture.

A partnership between the Art Gallery and Swiss luxury skincare house La Prairie, the La Prairie Art Award comprises of the acquisition of artwork for the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ collection and an international artist residency.

Filmed on Gadigal Country