Indigenous creative Goompi Ugerabah has been crowned winner of the 2023 Paddington Art Prize.
Labelled Mugeedah (Body Paint), Ugerabah won the competition for his detailed Mugeedah canvas painting.
Representing various aspects of Ugerabah's life and his broader areas of inspiration, Mugeedah is a culturally captivating piece of art.
"The artwork represents areas of my birthplace and homelands where I go and gather ochres from. On Kombumerri and neighbouring Minjungbal tribal lands. The many river systems, water inlets and mountains is where I gather these clays and ochres from," Goompi Ugerabah said.
"Mixing them with water we create a paste for our body paint to do song and dance or ceremony. We say Mugeedah in language for ochre."
Having grown up in Queensland spending a significant amount of time dancing with a group of local Aboriginal dancers from Stradbroke Island, Ugerabah has practised culture (song, dance and language) from a young age.
This passion has also continued into his adult life with Ugerabah now operating his only family dance troupe, "Bundjalung Kunjiel" which has performed for dignitaries, members of parliament and overseas audeinces.
In 2002, Ugerabah's interest in art was sparked after watching several other artists from different tribes around Australia engage in the creative hobby.
One year later in 2003, Ugerabah picked up the paintbrush and started experimenting with bright hues, graphic designs and acrylic paints.
Fast forward to 2023 and the local Queensland-born artist is a highly established artist who has now travelled internationally to exhibit his work as well as performing as part of his dance troupe.
Despite his international success and status within Australia, Ugerabah remained humble when awarded with the $30,000 Paddington Art Prize, further taking to social media to share his thankyous.
"Wow, I just won the 2023 Paddington Art Prize, no words other than I am very thankful," he said.
Established in 2004 by Arts Patron, Marlene Antico OAM, the Paddington Art Prize is a $30,000 National acquisitive prize, awarded annually for a painting inspired by the Australian landscape.
The Prize encourages the interpretation of the landscape as a significant contemporary genre, its long tradition in Australian painting as a key contributor to our national ethos, and is a positive initiative in private patronage of the arts in Australia.
For more information on The Paddington Art Prize visit www.paddingtonartprize.com.au
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