62nd Fisher’s Ghost Art Award winners announced

Published on 05 November 2024

Campbelltown Arts Centre presents the 62nd Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, an annual art award and exhibition that coincides with Campbelltown’s annual Festival of Fisher’s Ghost.  

At the Opening Night on Friday, 1 November, Katy B Plummer was announced as the winner of the $50,000 acquisitive Open Award for her work ‘Margaret and the Grey Mare’. 

Originally commissioned by Casula Powerhouse, ‘Margaret and the Grey Mare’ is a video installation and opera, with music by ARIA award-winning composer Sally Whitwell. It is performed by Plummer, her sister Margaret Plummer (currently a Vienna State Opera soloist), Michael Honeyman and Sarah Jessica Carpark.  

The project explores the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence as oracle, witchcraft as an ambivalent feminist framework, and the troubling gifts passed down through lineage. 

It’s an urgent exchange between the character of Margaret (a hypothetical 17th Century ancestor) and The Grey Mare, an ancient land-spirit whose name has been forgotten. These two figures are shattered, estranged halves locked in violent intimacy: as characters, and as sisters wrestling a complex history, they move in and out of linear time, colliding with each other and the terrible weight of history. 

This year’s Fisher’s Ghost Art Award was judged by Director of Sydney’s UNSW Galleries, José Da Silva, artist and Coordinator of Programming at Blacktown Arts, Talia Smith and previous winner of the 61st Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (Open Category), Angela Tiatia. 

Campbelltown Mayor Cr Darcy Lound congratulated Katy B Plummer on winning the prestigious Open Award and thanked all the entrants for entering their works. 

“The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award is a key event in our city’s cultural calendar, where artists from all genres can showcase their exceptional talent to thousands,” 

“I would like to thank all the artists and judges who have contributed their expertise and creativity, helping to make this a truly world-class event. Your work invites residents and visitors to experience the transformative power of art in our city,” 

“A special thanks goes to our sponsors from Campbelltown and the wider Macarthur region, as well as our sister city, Coonamble Shire Council, whose generosity ensures the continued support of this much-loved event, year after year.” 

“This exhibition is a fantastic display of creativity and story-telling and I encourage everyone to visit our wonderful Arts Centre to experience it for themselves.” 

“I also encourage artists, both far and wide, to enter next year and help us continue to grow this long-standing award and foster the creative pulse of Campbelltown”. Cr Darcy Lound said. 

The Director of Campbelltown Arts Centre, Mouna Zaylah, spoke about the significance of an event like this for our region. 

“The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award shines a light on the vibrant creative spirit of our community, offering an enriching experience for audiences from near and far. 

“We are thrilled to showcase artworks from artists of all ages and backgrounds, featuring bold, thoughtful and diverse perspectives. We invite everyone to immerse themselves in this celebration of creativity”. 

Zaylah later shared a quote from the judging panel, José Da Silva, Talia Smith and Angela Tiatia:  

“The judges were quick and unanimous in their decision to award Katy B. Plummer the 2024 Fishers Ghost Art Award. Her work, Margaret and the Grey Mare, offers a unique artistic vision that is ambitious in scope and format. It showcases an artist at the pinnacle of their craft, fully confident in the language of their practice across video, performance, and installation. Every aspect of this project is thoughtful and accomplished, from the cinematic storytelling to the production design, as well as the contemplative use of opera and artificial intelligence to draw connections between the past and the unknown. A sense of wonder and curiosity permeates this work; it is utterly distinctive, refreshing, and captivating.”   

Winners of the 62nd Annual Fisher’s Ghost Art Awards: 

Open – Katy B Plummer, Margaret And The Grey Mare 

Contemporary – Kalanjay Dhir & Akil Ahamat, a vanishing point 

Traditional – Catherine Stait-Gardner, Still Life Objects Waiting to be Painted 

Macarthur Award – Lathalia Song, Lament 

Aboriginal Art Award – Dave Doyle, Eroded 

Macability Award – Catherine McGuiness, Good night tinker bell 

Primary – Helaina Davies, Self Portrait; Boadicea Griffin, Ice cream and Minh Tran, Look At Me Now 

Secondary – Edwin Babu, Nace; Peter Dabrowski, Platypus Canopic Jar; Tailey Richards, Self Portrait and Sasha Shynkarenko, Fruits and a Jar 

Sponsors of the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award exhibition include: 

Australian Labor Party Councillors, Campbelltown City Council 

Campbelltown City Council 

Coonamble Shire Council 

Friends of Campbelltown Arts Centre 

Macarthur Disability Services 

Marsdens Law Group 

The Hazlett Family and Cameron Brae Group 

Rotary Club of Ingleburn 

Western Suburbs League Club 

About the exhibition 

The 62nd Fisher’s Ghost Art Award exhibition is on at Campbelltown Arts Centre until Friday 6 December 2024. 

Categories :

Open – $50,000  
Supported by the Hazlett Family and Cameron Brae Group, The Friends of Campbelltown Arts Centre and Campbelltown City Council.  
Open to all artists and mediums and awarded to one work. The winning work is acquisitive to the Campbelltown City Council Art Collection.  

Contemporary – $4,000 
Supported by Marsdens Law Group  
Artworks entered in this category can be any style or medium of contemporary art.  

Traditional – $3,000  
Supported by Coonamble Shire Council  
Artworks in this category must be created in a traditional style such as: still life, realism, landscape, portraiture or using traditional techniques.  

Primary students  
Supported by Rotary Club of Ingleburn  
Open to Primary school aged students, awarded to 3 students who will receive a $250 voucher for redemption at Eckersley’s Art & Craft.  

Secondary students  

Supported by Western Suburbs Leagues Club  

Open to Secondary school aged students, awarded to 4 students who will receive a $250 voucher for redemption at Eckersley’s Art & Craft.  

Awards :

Macability Award – $1,500  
Supported by Macarthur Disability Services  
Awarded to the best chosen work by an artist living with disability.  

Macarthur Award – $1,000  
Supported by Campbelltown Labor Party Councillors  
Awarded to the best chosen work by an artist living within the Macarthur area (Campbelltown, Wollondilly or Camden LGA’s).  

Aboriginal Art Award – $1,000 
Supported by Friends of Campbelltown Arts Centre  
Awarded to the best chosen work by an Aboriginal Artist living and working within New South Wales.