2021 Young Archie Competition winners fill gallery with ‘love and hope’

A brother, a sister, a mother and a self portrait are among the subjects painted by the winners of this year’s Young Archie portrait competition.

A drawing of a little boy who eats whole bags of cucumbers in the hope of turning green like The Hulk is one of the winners in the Young Archie competition at the Art Gallery of NSW, announced this morning.

Luanda Perlstone Monroy thought her brother Leon, six, was so funny when he played at being The Hulk that she got out her watercolour pencils and drew him.

Luanda Perlstone Monroy, nine, with her brother Leon, six, who she painted for her winning Young Archies entry. Picture: Tim Hunter

Young Archies winner 9-12 years old: My Hulk Brother by Luanda Perlstone Monroy.

She called her picture My Hulk Brother and it has been hanging at the AGNSW next to the Archibald Prize exhibition since June 5. It will remain on view (once the gallery reopens after lockdown) until September 26 with the other finalists in the Young Archies.

Luanda, Lulu to her family, was “very, very excited” to have been selected by guest judge, leading Sydney artist Ramesh Nithiyendran, as the winner of the nine to 12-year-old prize category.

“I love my brother Leon,” Luanda said.

“He has a fascination for the Hulk and he plays the role almost all day, making angry faces and noises. It’s to the point that he will eat a bag of cucumbers, thinking he will get green and super strong.”

Young Archies winner 5-8 years old: Me by Thevan Basnayake.

Young Archies winner 13-15 year olds: My Sister by Jacqueline Qin.

The other winners are Thevan Basnayake of Winston Hills (five to eight years category), Jacqueline Qin of Pymble (13-15 years category) and Charliese Allen of Sunshine West, Victoria (16-18 years category).

The four winners each receive a cash prize of $200 from ANZ, an art pack from S&S Creative, a family pass to a paid exhibition at the AGNSW and an Archibald 2021 catalogue.

This year more than 2100 children entered the Young Archies, according to family programs manager Victoria Collings.

AGNSW deputy director Maud Page said the entries had filled the gallery with “love and hope” during Covid-19.

Ramesh Nithiyendran, whose monumental art work Avatar Tower has just been acquired by the AGNSW, said he loved this year’s judging so much he will do it again next year.

Young Archies winner 16-18 year olds: Momasito by Charliese Allen.

“What I was looking for was a kind of rebellion or adventurousness and a bit of honesty in the work,” Nithiyendran said.

“I really wanted to encourage the people that seemed to be exploring materials in their own individual way. The ones that really stood out are the ones that had a really amazing story.

“With every entry there was a little paragraph that the young person had written about their work and when it came down to the final selection and picking the winners, those stories were the key things that allowed me to make my decisions.”

Artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, was the guest judge at this year’s Young Archies. Picture: Anna Kucera

Nithiyendran loved Luanda’s work.

“What I loved about that work was the humble materials, like A4 copy paper and just pencils, and it showed me that art is really about ideas,” the artist said.

“It was also really cheeky and humorous and I think there’s a place for that in art and it should really be encouraged.”

This year’s Young Archies coincides with the centenary of the Archibald Prize and the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the AGNSW.