Index
30 November 2010
Zen garden drawings win Siemens-RMIT Fine Art Award
RMIT University student and Richmond resident Yuria Okamura has won a $2,000 Undergraduate award in the 2010 Siemens-RMIT Fine Art Awards.
Ms Okamura, who is a Bachelor of Arts Fine Arts (Painting) - Honours student at RMIT, won the travel award for her acrylic on paper drawings Space and Illusion 1 and Space and Illusion 2, inspired by the aesthetics and philosophy behind Japanese gardens, particularly Zen gardens.
The 23-year-old artist said that her work was a "conflation of geometric abstraction, figurative drawing, decorative patterns, traditional Japanese garden design and architecture."
"The images were created through the process of embossing, staining and drawing," she said.
"I started using embossing technique by accident. I was drawing patterns on paper using a pencil, and when I tried to erase it, the indentation of the paper remained. Then I thought the embossed lines were more effective than pencil lines."
She said her aim was to create a pictorial space that has a meditative quality and a sense of 'stillness'.
"I also hope to inspire contemplation by making images that need prolonged examination of intricate surface marks and ink drawings."
Ms Okamura said she would use her prize money to go back to Japan and visit many Japanese gardens, as they have been the main source of inspiration for her work this year.
"Traditional Japanese art has had a great impact on my art practice; not only the aesthetics of Japanese art but also Zen philosophy, folktales and Shinto beliefs like animism and interconnectedness of the natural world," she said.
Celebrating 10 years, the Siemens-RMIT Fine Art Awards finalists are exhibited at RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston St, Melbourne, until 8 January. The eight winners received $32,000 in prize money.
Chairman and Managing Director of Siemens Australia and New Zealand, Mr Albert Goller, said: "RMIT University, the RMIT Gallery, the students and past winners of this award should all be proud of the contribution they are making to society in the world of art and innovation."
Yuria Okamura with her paper drawings, Space and Illusion 1 and Space and Illusion 2.
For interviews and high quality images of the artist and her winning work, contact: RMIT Gallery Media Coordinator, Evelyn Tsitas, (03) 9925 1716, 0418 139 015 or evelyn.tsitas@rmit.edu.au.
