Rising star Kate Bohunnis wins $100,000 Ramsay Art Prize

South Australian artist Kate Bohunnis has taken home one of the country’s most coveted art awards, winning the 2021 Ramsay Art Prize worth $100,000.

Artist Kate Bohunnis with her prize-winning work. Picture: Saul Steed

After a stellar year of 350 submissions and a shortlist of more than 20 finalists, the Art Gallery of South Australia has announced 30-year-old Kate Bohunnis the winner of its coveted 2021 Ramsay Art Prize worth $100,000 in prize money.

The biennial prize, first established by prominent philanthropists James and Diana Ramsay in 2017, boasts one of the most lucrative art awards in the country, designed to support young and emerging Australian artists under the age of 40 in every artistic medium.

Bohunnis, a South Australian artist who initially studied printmaking at the Adelaide College of Arts, was awarded the top gong for her kinetic sculpture, entitled Edge of Excess.

The abstract work features a pendulum made from metal, wrought by Bohunnis herself, which swings over a slumped, flesh-like form crafted from silicone. “The sculpture is designed to reference the divination tools used in spiritual healing,” Bohunnis said.

On winning the award, she said she was “gobsmacked by the level of encouragement and recognition” she had received, adding she was simply satisfied “to be part of the list of 24 talented finalists”.