Blake Prize 2012 for Religious Art?

Luke Roberts "Three Figures at the base of the Crucifixions"

The 60th BLAKE PRIZE seems neither religious or spiritual, despite claims of exploring these matters on the front of the catalogue. If anything, the touring exhibition currently showing in Hobart is not only disappointing, buy does not seem to address any of the issues claimed. In fact, nearly the entire exhibition could have been shown in any mixed display of art works anywhere no matter what the subject, as there is little reference to the purpose for which the prize was created. When the Blake Prize was established in the 1950s, there was a desire to create a vehicle  to promote a modern, and dare I say genuine expression of religious truths. A landscape painting by Carla Hananiah "Refuge" won the John Coburn Award for Emerging Artist, deserves commendation, but little else. The winner of this year's $20000 prize money was rather questionable 90-minute video of what appears to be  a group of Muslims praying in a suburban house. How a video of a religious service of any sort, becomes a work of art is hard to say. One would think that any church, mosque or temple event would qualify. The recording of something does not turn it into an art work, let alone be considered the winning entry. Then there is the referral work to Breughel's masterpiece "The Blind Leading the Blind" in Naples. However, in Brueghel's painting each and every figure is packed with emotion and hidden meaning, while Lisa Lee "Safety Seekers" seems to lack any meaning what so ever, apart from the suggested haven for asylum for boat people. Even haloed orangutans receive a jersey in this show. All in al,l the exhibition leaves much to be desired, no matter what your viewpoint. Whether the use of the word spiritual has lead to this situation, I will leave the viewer to judge.

Luke Roberts' digital triptych, panel one  illustrated above pretty much sums it up. While attempting to make reference to Christ's Crucifixion, The use of strippers, female impersonators in scant clothing boarders on the insulting to any one with any Christian belief. One can imagine the out cry, if a scene from the Koran was treated in this way. It would seem in this multi cultural Australia no respect is shown towards majority views. Personally, I respect any artist right to express themselves as they see fit, but such a work as the above, has no place in an exhibition of religious art. Strangely, little objection seems to have been expressed,  when you consider outcry  over the photo of a pubescent girl by Henderson a few years ago.

What the founding fathers of the Blake think about this new direction, I leave to your imagination. Serious thought needs to be undertaken by the current co-coordinators, they need to come up with a new theme, and stop referring to religion, spiritual etc, for these themes this current show is not.