MAPh selects winner of $10,000 Wai Tang Commissioning Award for 2024

The Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) has announced artist Deborah Paauwe as the recipient of the Wai Tang Commissioning Award for 2024, for her work The other twin.

Paauwe receives $10,000 to finance an exhibition of a body of work alongside the 2025 Bowness Photography Prize exhibition, with one work acquired into the MAPh collection.

From her artist's statement, Paauwe says in The other twin, she delves into the depths of female identity and childhood through photography.

"By embracing anonymity and concealed emotions, I prompt viewers to navigate the complexities of identity through the veil of secrecy. Using hair and crocheted doilies as masks, antique lace and vintage dresses as focal points, and the intertwining of hands, I weave a narrative that blurs the boundaries between the present self and a veiled past. This work exudes a layer of nostalgia and intricacy, revealing a realm where flaws and beauty coexist in harmony."

Now in its fourth year, the Wai Tang Commissioning Award is an initiative of the MAPhFoundation as part of the Bowness Photography Prize.

Artist duo The Huxleys were the 2023 winners, selected from the 2023 Bowness Photography Prize. All of the Wai Tang Commission exhibitions coincide with the Bowness Photography Prize exhibition the following year, with one work entering the MAPh's collection of Australian photographs in honour of Wai Tang’s legacy.

‘I’m excited to select Deborah Paauwe for the 2025 Wai Tang Commissioning Award," said judge Kallie Blauhorn.

"The beauty of her work coupled with the relevant theming – femininity, identity and childhood – make her an incredibly worthy recipient of this year’s award. I look forward to seeing the exhibition hung alongside the Bowness Photography Prize finalists next year.’

You can see a selection of the 2024 Bowness Photography Prize People's Choice winners here.