Art message hits the mark

An up and coming Bunbury artist has wowed the industry by taking out the prestigious Mid-West Prize on her debut in the competition.

Sarah Mills was left speechless when her digital photograph The Fantasy and The Flesh received the City of Greater Geraldton $20,000 Overall Award for Excellence.

The 25-year-old multi-disciplinary artist shot the work while on holiday in Darwin after researching Aboriginal rights and the effects of the stolen generation.

She thought the photograph would relate well to the Geraldton region.

“I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t talk, I was shaking,” she said.

“The crocodile is a prehistoric beast that has been here for so many years and so the wisdom and the knowledge that it has is significant.

“So that represented the Indigenous side of things and then the young girl is tentatively touching the crocodile but doesn’t want to.

“It says a lot about society and the way that we are fearful of the two races coming together despite education, time and policy changes, we are still very segregated as a society.”

With an artist residency coming up in Dunsborough and hopes for a solo exhibit, Ms Mills plans to upgrade her camera and focus on producing more work with her prize money.

“I think art has so many importances,” she said.

“It can be used for therapy and it can help the world see things differently.

“The path that I’m going down now is to use it as a vehicle for change and to delve into politics.”