ONE of Canberra’s most eminent printmakers, Dianne Fogwell, has been announced as winner of “Megala”, the $10,000 inaugural Megalo International Print Prize for her linocut/perforated artists’ book, “Pollen Musica continuum – infinite.”

Fogwell, who is in Morocco for an art residency, could not attend the glamorous event at the Kingston premises of Megalo Print Studio + Gallery when the announcements were made on Friday evening, but her husband accepted the award on her behalf.

Fogwell is one of the most respected printmakers and artists book practitioners in the country. An early Canberra School of Art graduate, she later became acting head of the Graphic Investigation Workshop and lecturer in charge of the Edition + Artists Book Studio at the ANU School of Art. She was the co-founder of Studio One print workshop and founder/director of the Criterion Press and Fine Art Gallery.

In her artist’s statement, Fogwell said her winning work was a soft-folded piece to be experienced as “a continuous ribbon in a random arrangement” and had been inspired by “the intrinsic beauty and poetic dance of the process of pollination”. But she lamented the fact that the world’s bees are dying at an alarming rate, so she had closed the book in 2018.

Other prizes were announced by Megalo CEO and artistic director Ingeborg Hansen with programs manager Katy Mutton.

Every one of the 37 shortlisted entries from around the world, they said, had received at least one vote in the $1000 People’s Choice, but the winner was “The Extended Night” 2017, a mezzo print triptych by Mehdi Davishi from Iran, who was seen on video saying, “I believe my message caught people’s heart”.

The Lerida Estate Acquisitive Award, presented by Lerida co-owner Andrew McFadzean, went to went monotype, “Everybody’s Talkin’”, 2018 by Canberra-trained artist, Surya Bajracharya while the second prize was awarded to Karol Pomykala of Poland for the linocut work, “One Direction 2”, 2018.

“Megala”  attracted 367 works from 246 artists from 31 countries. Judges were Dr Jane Kinsman from the National Gallery of Australia, master printer  Basil Hall Editions and Hansen from Megalo.

Megalo International Print Prize exhibition, at Megalo Print Studio + Gallery, 21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, until April 6.