PICASSO’S maxim, “art is the lie that enables us to realise the truth”, was the inspiration for judges of the inaugural Empire Global Art Award, unveiled last night at Tuggeranong Arts Centre.

With that in mind, and the aim of choosing “quality, endurance work that would stand up to the test of time”, judges Caren Florance, Tony Steel and David Whitney selected Tuggeranong resident Alison Piper as the $2000 cash prize winner in the Youth Category for her digital photograph “Two-Faced”.

“We liked the strangeness of it; the disparity between the innocence of the framing and the complexity of the face,” they said.

The $2000 prize winner of the over 25 category was Kerry Johns’ acrylic painting “Not Mt Clear”, with the judges commenting, “We liked the way the landscape captures that overlap of observation and evocation…This partially abstracted landscape is not romanticised.”

The judges also selected four commendations: Stephanie McClory’s “Misconception”; Amy Campbell’s collage The More I Digest, The Less I Know”; Susan Hey’s “The Light is My Truth”; and Alfredo Lango’s mixed media work “The Evolution of Light and Darkness”.

Speaking for the judges, Florance reminded the large crowd present last night that “winning is not all important, what is important is feeling part of the community – art is not an activity, it is a way of pathfinding”.

Florance also praised the initiative of the sponsor, development and construction company, Empire Global, for getting behind the venture, saying “it’s always wonderful when new awards come on.”

Empire Global chief executive officer, Claudio Alarcon, was on hand to tell those present how his company’s basic aim was to inject life into town centres.

TAC CEO of the arts Centre, Rauny Worm, said she was delighted with the community’s response to the award, with 65 entries making up the huge exhibition of paintings, ceramics, sculpture and the plain quirky. “I’m particularly pleased with the number of local entries and the interesting entries we received from young people who responded thoughtfully to the theme,” she said.

The Empire Global Art Award exhibition continues at Tuggeranong Arts Centre until Saturday November 26.