Grave project wins Advertiser contemporary art prize at SALA Festival awards

The winner of The Advertiser’s $5000 contemporary art prize has been announced at the 22nd annual SALA Festival’s closing party and awards night.

The Grave Project – Women of Infamy, by Jess Miley and Derek Sargent, pictured with Leni Riefenstahl’s tombstone in Munich, Germany.

AN ongoing multimedia project which documents the burial sites of people who had an unconventional impact on culture has won The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award.

The Grave Project, a collaboration by artists Jess Miley and Derek Sargent, took home the $5000 prize at this year’s SALA Festival Finissage closing party and awards night at the Lion Arts Factory.

Developed from Miley and Sargent’s research in Eastern Europe, The Grave Project features both video performance and photographic elements.

The Grave Project – Women of Infamy, by Jess Miley and Derek Sargent, pictured with Virginia Hall’s tombstone in Salzburg, Austria.

Part of the project, Women of Infamy, visits to the resting places of women “whose notoriety set them apart from mainstream society”.

They include Virginia Hill – who was the girlfriend of gangster Bugsy Malone – and Nazi propaganda film director Leni Riefenstahl.

More than 8000 SA artists took part in almost 700 exhibitions and events as part of the 22nd annual SALA Festival during August.

SALA chief executive Kate Moskwa said the festival had been a “fabulous success”.

“Some exhibitions continue into September so check the SALA app to see what’s still open,” Ms Moskwa said.

The SA Film Corporation also announced the recipient of its second Adelaide Studios artist residency would be multidisciplinary artist Madison Bycroft.

2019 SALA AWARDS

The Advertiser Contemporary Art Award: Derek Sargent & Jess Miley

Unitcare Services Moving Image Award: Grant Parke

City Rural Emerging Artist Award: Steven Bellosguardo

Don Dunstan Foundation Award: Sue Webb and Deborah Baldassi

The City of Unley Active Ageing Award: Maggie Cecchin

Atkins Photo Lab Award: Lee Walter

Centre for Creative Photography Latent Image Award: Joseph Haxan

4th Biennial RSASA / SALA Portrait Prize Exhibition: Kate Kurucz

City of Onkaparinga Contemporary Curator Award: Steph Cibich

Originally published as Grave project wins Advertiser contemporary art prize at SALA Festival awards