In March, Mecca and the National Gallery of Victoria announced the M-Power grant, awarding $20,000 and a 12-month tailored mentoring program to the lucky recipient.
This year’s M-Power recipient is South Sudanese Melbourne-based photographic artist Atong Atem. Atem’s work “explores postcolonial practices in the diaspora, the relationship between public and private spaces and the politics of looking and being looked at”.
NGV director, Tony Ellwood, said of the prize: “Atong’s dynamic practice and connection with wider issues of cultural identity were indicative of her creative vision and artistic rigour and we are excited to see how the Mecca M-Power grant will nurture her boundless potential.”
In a statement, Mecca Brands founder and co-CEO Jo Horgan also expressed her support of Atem and the grant, saying: “Mecca Brands has enjoyed a long and rich partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria. Through Mecca M-Power we’re delighted to be supporting an Australian artist to further her creative vision and career.”
You can view Atong Atem’s work here.
