Amanda Boulos with her winning painting "In the Morning," 2017
oil on panel, 42" x 40"
Amanda Boulos is this year’s winner of the RBC Canadian Painting Competition. Honourable mentions go to Emmanuel Osahor and geetha thurairajah.
Toronto-based Boulos receives $25,000 for her painting, In the Morning, along with a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Osahor and thurairajah each receive $15,000. Works by the three artists become part of RBC's corporate art collection.
Boulos, a 2017 graduate of the University of Guelph MFA program, expressed gratitude for the chance to build relationships with artists and mentors.
"Opportunities like these enable creators to showcase their talents on a national scale and provide a platform to gain international exposure," she said.
Boulos reworks the stories of her Palestinian ancestors in her paintings. The jury called her art brave, nuanced and powerful.
Osahor, a 2014 BFA graduate of the University of Alberta, is based in Edmonton, while Brooklyn-based thurairajah is a 2014 BFA graduate of NSCAD University in Halifax.
This year is the 20th anniversary of the competition.
The work of finalists will be displayed at Toronto's Power Plant from Sept. 15 to Sept. 30. For more information, visit rbc.com/paintingcompetition.
Source: RBC