Shan Turner-Carroll Wins Fisher’s Ghost Art Award

Celebrating Contemporary Art At Campbelltown

The Fisher’s Ghost Art Award has once again highlighted some of the most compelling voices in contemporary art. This year, the prestigious $50,000 acquisitive Open Award was granted to Shan Turner-Carroll for his piece titled “I love You,” part of the series “Bless You, Bless Me, Bless the Mountain.” The judges commended the artist for his courage in experimentation, noting the profound impact of the work. For Turner-Carroll, the victory is a deeply personal milestone that holds significant meaning for both himself and his family.

The award is timed to coincide with the annual Festival of Fisher’s Ghost, a local tradition dating back to 1956 that celebrates the legend of Frederick Fisher. Over the decades, the Open Award has been a mark of distinction for many of the most respected artists in the country, including Robert Fielding, Khaled Sabsabi, Justene Williams, Suzanne Archer, and Elisabeth Cummings. This current iteration is particularly poignant as it marks the final award ceremony before the Campbelltown Arts Centre closes for a major redevelopment project in March, with a planned reopening in mid-2029.

Featured Works Of The Exhibition

One of the most striking pieces in the gallery is Shan Turner-Carroll’s winning work. Constructed from straw bales rendered with plaster and painted in a salmon pink fresco style, the piece blends various mediums. The front features a photograph of a sculpture made from branches and naturally dyed old bed sheets. The reverse side is adorned with patterns created from shells, crystals, marbles, and hand-scrapes. Turner-Carroll, a queer artist of Burmese descent, describes the work as a love letter to the universe and the land of Wonnarua Country in New South Wales. He views the patterns as representations of angels, shooting stars, Buddhas, and apparitions, created as a way to cultivate hope during times of ecological collapse and global instability. He notes that these works emerged from feelings of desperation and a desire to find beauty in a climate of instability.

Another highlight is “A Scaffolding of Red and Bone” by Marianne Le Cheaf, which earned the People’s Choice Award. Created using pencil and acrylic paint on a deep-edge birch wood panel, the artwork explores the unspoken architecture of maternal lineage and the quiet fortitude of women. Le Cheaf uses the image of a magpie as a symbol of wit, resilience, and fierce maternal protection. The piece incorporates a red thread and a patchwork of stars interwoven through a domestic space, representing both the trauma of intergenerational weight and the courage required to sustain the next generation. The artist hopes the work helps viewers feel less alone in the burdens they carry, recognizing the immense, quiet labor and grief that underpin lives.

Kelcie Bryant-Duguid received the Contemporary Award for “Day 529. Mother and Child.” This free-motion machine embroidery piece required 80 hours of meticulous work. The artwork serves as a response to a viral photo taken by journalist Fadi W Thalbet of the body of two-month-old Banan Al-Salout, who was killed in March 2025 along with her parents and other family members. Bryant-Duguid uses her art to advocate for those whose stories often go unheard, describing the piece as a reaction to the grief and helplessness felt when witnessing systemic violence. The judges described the composition as arresting and technically beautiful, capturing a scene of profound horror.

Finally, Claire Birbeck won the Macability Award for “Colour Keeps Memory.” This work is an embroidered journal where each piece of dyed calico represents a single day of the artist’s life. Influenced by synaesthesia—a condition where senses overlap, such as tasting colors or feeling sounds—Birbeck uses specific colors to archive memories and emotions. The judges praised her ability to translate this sensory experience into a visual language, allowing the viewer to glimpse a unique way of perceiving the world. The exhibition remains open to the public at the Campbelltown Arts Centre until December 4.