Todd Fuller - Major Prize Winner

Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2024 - Major Prize Winner

_{[Still Image from video courtesy of the artist and M Contemporary. Commissioned by the State Library of New South Wales.]}

$25,000 - Sponsored by Argon Law and Sunshine Coast Council

Artist Statement

 In 2017, a post-performance kebab for three Sydney drag stars (Ivy League, Coco Jumbo and Vybe), ended in an altercation as the queens intervened in a gay-bashing. Drag queens often take on the role of protectors for the LGBTQIA+ community, but in this case, they saved the life of Ivan Finn. Told through the eyes of Coco Jumbo, this body of work marks another moment in history when drag queens led the way. 

Judge, Julie Ewington, comments

This beautifully considered video is compassionate, generous and sophisticated. Yet it recounts an ordinary enough street encounter: a fabulously attired drag queen speaks very straightforward about an attempted gay-bashing on Sydney’s Oxford Street. What makes the work outstanding is the confident combination of speaking directly to camera, and the drama unfolding in the sequences of lovely, animated drawings that convey the narrative. The actions of the protagonists are explored through Coco’s memories, as her wry understated account reveals the potential danger in the episode, and the courage, and quick thinking, that was required to resist this aggression.

The work is modest, attentive, and beautifully paced. It is engaging, too: the laconic tone is entirely Australian, as is the wise and funny punchline. Todd Fuller’s x No use crying over torn lace timely: it shows how swift action can prevent violence on our streets. We should all take notice.  As No use crying over torn lace is proposed for acquisition, this pithy and affecting tale will be seen by many different audiences, and hopefully in different social settings.