A daring Canberra artist who has made the naked human body her art medium has been named 2009 Citynews Artist of the Year at the 19th Annual ACT Arts Awards.
Min Mae, 33, of Ainslie is a busy single mother who also choreographs and dances for the Radiance women’s dance company. She was described by one judge as “a philosopher who takes the big questions in life and explores the possible answers to them by using the body."
Mae received a $1000 cheque from the ACT Chief and Arts Minister Jon Stanhope, along with a painting presented by Solander Gallery owner Joy Warren.
Whilst her medium could be considered controversial, Mae is adamant that her artworks are empowering, not exploitative.
"Nudity is essentially human…my medium is living flesh”, she says.
Mae’s tableau forms are stunning, and most appealing to the human eye. She uses the body to explore her ideas including death, poetry, the subconscious and even art movements.
At the Arts Awards Ceremony, Michael White from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance announced that veteran Canberra actor Oliver Baudert had won the 2009 Green Room Award and a special Peer Recognition Award went to Street Theatre director Caroline Stacey.
Canberra Centenary creative director Robyn Archer presented a Special Critics’ Award to retiring gallery owner Helen Maxwell, praised for her support of women and local and indigenous artists.
Other Canberra Critics’ Circle awards went to artists Johannes Kuhnen and Gilbert Riedelbauch, Julie Ryder, curator Geoffrey Farquhar-Still, writers Tatjana Lukic (posthumous), Omar Musa, Julian Fleetwood, Kel Robertson, Jackie French, John Dargavel., film-maker Andrew Pike, choreographers Sandra Griffin and Michelle Heine, theatre directors Geoffrey Borny, Cathie Clelland and Kate Shearer, playwright David Finnigan, designer Gillian Schwab, papermoon productions, actors Graham Robertson, Tim Sekuless, Jordan Best, Helen Brajkovic and Lexi Sekuless, singers Moya Simpson and Karen Fitzgibbon, conductor-singer Tobias Cole, composer Tim Hansen and musical directors Robyn Holmes and Vincent Plush.
