We are thrilled to announce that Robyn Sweaney has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Opening 10 May, the Wynne Prize selects the best in Australian landscape painting and figurative sculpture celebrating the diversity of representations in Australia.
This marks Robyn Sweaney's sixth time as a finalist in this coveted prize, an incredible achievement for this highly celebrated and acclaimed artist. Her work The Red Zone depicts a home that is part of the voluntary buyback scheme for dwellings affected by flooding in the Northern Rivers, the region of which the artist resides. A familiar sight of late, where environmental impact and the cost of living crisis is affecting many in Australia, Sweaney's beautifully rendered painting with post-modern features such as breeze-blocks, soft 1950s dreamy pink weatherboard and wrought iron staircase merge old and new, modern and contemporary amongst the urgent housing concerns prevalent for many Australians.
In her statement for the work, Sweaney comments -
Parts of South Murwillumbah in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales have been designated as severe flood risk zones. Under a voluntary buyback scheme operated by the state government, some houses in this area have been purchased from their owners and fenced off for 12 months, allowing for the reuse or recycling of the buildings’ materials. A Murwillumbah local, Robyn Sweaney selected one such home as the subject of her painting. Parts of the town were particularly affected by flooding in 2017 and 2022, and she created this work in March 2025, just after the area was battered by Cyclone Alfred. ‘The North Coast is being hit more frequently by intense weather events, which has affected many living and working in the community,’ she says. ‘Lack of housing and housing affordability are problems Australia wide, but it’s complex once houses are affected by flooding and storms, and people wish to remain in the area.’ A six-time Wynne Prize finalist, Sweaney has captured a house shuttered and still, awaiting its fate. - Robyn Sweaney, Artist Statement for 'Red Zone' 2025
The Wynne Prize opens 10 May and continues until 17 August 2025. The art event of the year, don't miss this incredible show.
