3am , $100 & Contemporary Art: An Interview With The Boynes Emerging Artist Award Founder
The Boynes Emerging Artist Award is a rising star among international art competitions.
Founded in 2019 by Chantal Boynes the Boynes Emerging Artist Award fosters artistic growth and career-enhancing opportunities for aspiring creatives across the world.
Entirely artist-run and independent, this award has gone far in a very short time.
Smart Artist Hub is immensely proud to partner with The Boynes Emerging Artist Award on their 8th Edition.
Join us as we uncover Chantal’s remarkable journey!
Chantal Boynes. The Boynes Emerging Artist Award Founder.SAH: The Boynes Emerging Artist Award is now in its 8th edition. How did it all start?
CHB: I attended the Latrobe College of Art and Design in Melbourne, Australia where I was working on my Advanced Diploma of Visual Art. Toward the end of the 1st year of my studies, I had what I now know was a life-changing moment, I got annoyed.
I was in the process of filling out an application to an art competition at 3 AM and when I got to the end I realized that not only was the application fee $100 USD, but the prize, an exhibition, while great didn’t seem like enough.
That gave me pause so, instead of submitting it I went through the website again, aside from an initial congrats to past winners and finalists there seemed to be nothing more, no further connection or support. The whole thing just didn’t seem like enough anymore.
So I exited the application and at 3 AM in October 2019 I began to research what it would take to start my own art competition.
On November 1st 2019, the 1st Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award was launched.
SAH: What is the central focus of the award and how does it support emerging artists?
CHB: The central focus from our beginning was always building community and a platform of long-term support for emerging artists around the world. My experiences in Australia definitely shaped how the award was formed.
As a foreign student, there were competitions I could not enter, so I ensured my own was open to all. As an emerging young artist I was lacking in career-changing opportunities, so I worked tirelessly to create opportunities as part of the prizes in each edition.
As an artist, the funds to continue my work were low, so in almost every edition significant cash prizes have been offered.
And perhaps most importantly, long-term marketing and support was a pipe dream for me but it isn’t for past winners and finalists in our award. We have and continue to work with our former winners and finalists in promoting their newest endeavours such as new exhibitions, and projects and even simply promoting new work. More recently my team and I have also become available for giving advice to the artists, such as approaching a gallery and in some cases reaching out on their behalf.
SAH: How has the award evolved in its seven editions?
CHB: I would be the 1st to admit all of my inadequacies when I launched in 2019, so when I speak about the evolution of this award, I am speaking about myself as well. I think the biggest evolution has been in our partnerships and the increasing opportunities we have been able to offer.
The ability to offer artists a $15,000 USD PR contract, to go to a fully funded artist residency for 3 months in Italy, or more recently to have a solo exhibition is not a possibility I had even dreamed of when I began this award.
Our ability to give our artists more has definitely been the biggest evolution.
SAH: What kind of impact has it had on visual artists who have participated?
CHB: This is a question that gives me pause, as I may not be the best person to answer it. I can only tell you what I have been told.
One thing that has been relayed to me by our past winners and finalists is our dedication to them after everything is done.
After we have moved on to another Edition and are dealing with new artists, they have voiced their genuine surprise and appreciation for the full support they still receive.
I work closely with every one of them and I think this fact, the continued support and participation in their careers have had the greatest impact.
Martin Murphy. Dream Wild.1st Place Winner. 7th Edition. Image courtesy the artist.SAH: What makes The Boynes Emerging Artist Award, different from other opens?
CHB: Well I would refer to my previous answer, I have been a finalist in my own share of awards and one thing I have not experienced is the true connection with the team of the award or the willingness to be involved down the road.
I hope there are other awards where it exists but as it stands the surprise in the artists of our award when we follow through with our involvement with them post their edition tells me that it is something that makes us different than the norm.
SAH: What role does this competition play within the contemporary art scene?
CHB: This award has seen winners and finalists from every continent in the world. Given my own dance with being an international artist, I would like to think that our contribution lies in our ability to give a platform to contemporary art from around the world, art that has tackled all manners of issues facing people in different countries and cultures.
With winners who hail from Iraq to Trinidad and Tobago to Australia, we do believe it is worthwhile to expose the world and our audience to artists who have such vastly different experiences and stories to tell.
SAH: What advice would you give someone entering The Boynes Emerging Artist Award?
CHB: Follow the instructions given. It may seem like simple advice, and it is advice I did not follow all the time when I was submitting my own application but it is one of the best pieces of advice I can give.
When I look at some applications and I see something has not been done as instructed, from my own experiences I can understand the logic behind it. Artists may sometimes feel like it will strengthen their application if they give more than asked for, or that you need to know more than you asked and they don’t want to risk not giving you the information.
I understand the compulsion, I lived it. But now, as someone who runs an award, I know now that the best thing you can do for yourself is following instructions to the letter. This is not just true for our award, but all open calls.
Grace Netanya. Eclipse. 2nd Place Winner. 7th Edition. Image courtesy the artist.
Kip Harris. Leather Worker, Havana. 3rd Place Winner. 7th Edition. Image courtesy the artist.
SAH: How does the selection process work? Are there particular characteristics that you and the jury look for?
CHB: The selection process occurs in two rounds. The first occurs when our jury is sent the work of every artist, with work being shown anonymously, for them to judge based on four criteria; Composition, Impact, Originality and Skill/Technique.
Based on the jury’s selection, artists with the highest overall ratings are awarded a finalist place. The second round is where winners are chosen from the group of finalists. This is done by myself and the partner in that particular Edition. The second round is much more difficult as at that point you are dealing with a group of the best artists and the reasons to remove someone from consideration become smaller and harder to find.
I have found in my experience that work that has a balance of all four characteristics have been the most successful. Work that shows the artist’s skill, their ability to compose their piece or to use composition to make a piece more interesting, their work’s ability to leave an impact on the jury looking at it and the hint of originality in the work that makes you question why it still feels familiar.
This may sound like a tall order, and it is but we have awarded hundreds of artists and seen hundreds more who have managed to achieve that one piece.
Tanya Atanasova. Lou. 1st Place Winner. 1st Edition. Image courtesy the artist.
SAH: What advantages do participants of the award have compared to other emerging artists?
CHB: I know it may seem like I’m repeating myself at this point but I would have to again talk about the advantage to an emerging artist of having access to a knowledgeable team that is ready to give you advice where you need it, or marketing support where you need it. That can of support is invaluable to artists, especially emerging artists and does, I believe, give them an advantage.
SAH: Is there one entry that has stood out and you are still able to visualize from previous editions?
CHB: Just one is a difficult question to answer, so I’ll simply tell you what popped into my head when I initially read your question. It would be the first-place winner in our very first Edition, a piece called “Lou” by Belgian-based artist Tanya Atanasova.
Her portraiture is highly skilled and her pieces are quite intriguing.