‘the churchie’ and the IMA are excited to announce the appointment of Rhana Devenport ONZM, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) as the judge of the 2021 prize.

We’re thrilled to welcome Rhana to select prize winners this year, giving emerging artists exposure to one of the most important leaders in contemporary art in the Asia Pacific region.

Rhana Devenport is the first woman to hold the Director position at AGSA. She is a museum director, curator, editor, and cultural producer whose career spans art museums, biennials, and arts festivals.

As former Director of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki she, in 2017, curated the work of Lisa Reihana for the New Zealand Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Prior to that she was Director of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, leading to the development of the Len Lye Centre.

In Australia she worked on the first four Asia Pacific Triennials at the Queensland Art Gallery. Her curatorial interests include contemporary art of Asia and the Pacific, time-based media, and social practice.

Entries for ‘the churchie’ 2021 have now closed and the finalists will be announced in the coming weeks. The selected finalists will have their work exhibited at the Institute of Modern Art 9 October–18 December 2021.

Thanks to generous supporters, ‘the churchie’ offers a prize pool of $25,000 with the overall winner receiving a non-acquisitive $15,000 cash prize donated by long-standing sponsor, BSPN Architecture. A $5,000 Special Commendation prize sponsored by Fardoulys Constructions and two Commendation prizes of $1,000 sponsored by Madison Cleaning Services will be awarded at the official opening and prize announcement Friday 8 October.

A People’s Choice Award of $3,000 sponsored by Madison Cleaning Services will also be awarded at the conclusion of the exhibition.