THE FACTORY ART PRIZE 2023
“Who do you say I am?” – Matthew 16
Everyone has an opinion on who Jesus is, whether positive or negative. In 2023 more than 30 artists engaged with the theme “Who do you say I am?” as Jesus asked his disciples in Matthew 16. From paintings to collages, and sculptures, the exhibit included a range of unique and thought-provoking artworks.
“Artworks submitted in 2022 were thought-provoking and an inspiring expression of creativity. Artists were challenged to respond to the elusive and contested question – Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15) The diversity of works presented demonstrated enquiry, creativity, emotional insight, and symbolic metaphors in response to the complex question.”
– Steve Lewis | Judge 2023
2023 Winning & Commended Artworks
FIRST PRIZE 2023
Emily Lane
Ink on paper 100 x 70cm
Crucified with Christ
I was saved as a young child and have avoided some pitfalls of life but troubles trauma and grief still come to all of us. The past few years have been extremely hard for me. I found my confidence in my own abilities and strengths completely exhausted. Lonely and disappointed I realised that I had a choice to make. Either Jesus was who he said he was or he was too distant to care. Which is it? Is my sin unforgivable? Has he ever abandoned me or betrayed me? No never! My ink drawing shows me at the end of myself defeated and surrendered. However it is in this space of understanding Jesus' journey of suffering that I realise I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). It is Jesus who will rescue me from every pit and chasm and journey alongside me through life. He is brother, protector, deliverer, defender and friend.
Highly Commended 2023
Jenny Hanslow
Layer 1: Graphite on paper.
Layer 2: Ocean clay, sea vine and dried elderberry.
Layer 3: Nails and wool.
Layer 4: Charcoal on Bible pages.
Layer 5: Dried and cooked live yeast.
Layer 6: Seeds (coffee beans, sesame seeds, black beans and sunflower seeds).
Layer 7: Foam, material and lights.
100 x 80cm
What do you say that I am?
Who do you say I am? John's gospel offers us 7 metaphoric answers on the lips of Jesus himself. They are metaphors which delve deeply into the meaning of the answer Peter gives in Matthew's gospel. Just as the gospels pose and answer this question, this portrait invites you to consider what it is made of, what each layer represents and what that means and/or reveals about the man I call the Christ.
Highly Commended 2023
Melody Tallon
Pastels 47 x 60cm
Untitled
Who do you say I am? Jesus is so many things but I wanted to show that He is the Saviour of all - not just those of us in our comfortable homes and traditional churches but also the lost the broken the abandoned the homeless and the outcast. If Jesus loves them how can we do any less?
Commended 2023
Paula Garrard
Enamel spray paint on canvas.
100 x 100
Channel of the reflective
Channeling the reflection of your perspective spirituality and beliefs then projecting that faith with his guidance.
Seeing your reflection in his image for I imagine Jesus was man who took his reflection from others to acknowledge and forgive guide and improve himself to help others.
We see things in others and reflect where we might see the good and bad in them in hope that we might reflect in our own space for self growth praise forgiveness and empathy…Jesus is a refection of empathy. My work explores this idea through an abstract form where light and dark form and space reflect to absorb the space and symbolise one's inner dialogue with the idea that we all contain a reflective perspective.
Commended 2023
Robyn Collier
Oil on canvas
41 x 61
Healing Our Damaged World
I wanted to describe the healing quality of the Universal Mind - God and how our injured world will be nurtured back to health when we decide to stop the destruction and take responsibility for our own contribution. 'Who do you say I am...?' The Healer.
Meet one of our 2023 judges - David Newman-White
Applications are now open for the 2024 Factory Art Prize
Theme Commentary 2023
Justine Jenner, Pastoral Worker and Event Organiser
Jesus has a way of asking confronting, engaging, personal questions. In Matthew 16, Jesus has asked his disciples “Who do people say I am?”. I wonder if we walked the streets of the Blue Mountains asking people who they think Jesus is what kind of answers would we hear?
But Jesus is more confronting than that—he then asks his friends, “But what about you?... Who do you say I am?”. This is not an objective question about what others think; he is asking a personal question—What is in your heart and mind? Who do you say I am?
Jesus knows who he is. He is asking—what about you—“Who do you say I am?”.
Steve Young, Senior Minister
Jesus’ question to his disciples in Matthew 16:15 prompts a turning point in Matthew’s story. The ministry of Jesus was making a huge impact. His teaching was radical and searching, as seen in the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7).
His miracles demonstrated incredible authority combined with deep compassion for people’s needs (chapters 8–9). His mission to call people back to God was spreading in a way that threatened the established powers (chapters 10–16). The burning question had become: Who is this? The Jews were waiting for God to restore the fortunes of his people by sending the promised Messiah (the Christ). Some had falsely claimed to be the one. Jesus was careful not to make a direct claim, in some cases even keeping miracles secret, but allowed the evidence to speak for itself.
In Matthew 16:13, Jesus privately asks his disciples who the people were saying he was. There were many theories. Then in Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks his disciples, those who knew him best, who they believed him to be. Peter answered for them all without hesitation, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” According to Jesus, it was the conclusion to which God had led them. From this point onwards the question becomes: Where is Jesus Messiah going with his authority? Straight away, Jesus indicates his destination: suffering, rejection, death and then resurrection. Matthew goes on to tell the story of how Jesus would lay down his life for the sins of his people and then be resurrected to rule. Matthew’s intention was that everyone who read his story would be confronted with Jesus’ question, “Who do you say I am?” There are still many theories but there is no more important question because, when a person puts their faith in Jesus, by his authority he grants them forgiveness of sins and eternal life.