Forbes Creek artist Jodie Harris is in the running for one of the country's biggest art awards.
TUCKED away in the tiny, rural enclave of Forbes Creek, 30 kilometres south-east of Queanbeyan, artist Jodie Harris is eagerly awaiting the results of the 29th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
It carries one of the largest prize cheques for an art award anywhere in the country, and if she's successful, the talented 30-year-old stands to win $40,000.
Ms Harris is a university-trained photographer who relocated to the area from Brisbane earlier this year to take up a position working at the National Library. The image she entered in the art award was taken from a larger body of her work that explored the nature of trash and waste in modern society.
"My background is photo-journalistic and social documentary, and I decided I wanted to explore our trash culture and our disconnection to our waste. I just wanted to explore the notion that 98 per cent of what we buy is trash," she said.
"Photography is the tool that allows me to creatively express my personal political view and interpret the world as it is presented to me.
"This uses different techniques to try and create some kind of emotional reaction from the audience and draw them in, and then provokes about the content of the image as well," she said.
The short-listed work makes use of a selection of techniques including long exposure times of over two minutes and painting with light. It will be exhibited at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) along with the other short-listed works from Friday, August 10.
The Telstra Art Award winner will be announced on the same night, with $40,000 for the overall winner and $4,000 for each category winner.
Ms Harris said she wouldn't be able to make it up to the Northern Territory for the announcement, but was proud to be in the running for such a prestigious prize.
"It's very exciting just to be shortlisted. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it up there on the night ... but I hope I win," she laughed.
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