The worsening housing crisis is the inspiration behind this year's winning piece in the John Glover Art Prize, according to artist Jo Chew.
"My piece 'Tender' was a work that I had wanted to make for a while," the University of Tasmania arts PhD candidate said.
"I just finished my PhD not long ago and this is the first piece I've made since finishing that research.
"I wanted to address the issue of homelessness in a direct way, so that is this work."
The Glover Art Prize is an annual showcase of Tasmanian landscapes, with entries from around the world, and is held in Evandale, Tasmania.
It was awarded to Chew on Friday night.
The $75,000 prize is awarded to the best contemporary landscape painting, along with a bronze maquette of colonial artist John Glover, who was inspired by the Evandale area in his renowned paintings.
Chew moved to Tasmania a few years ago when the housing crisis was particularly visible, with families forced to camp for weeks in the Hobart Showground.
The piece depicts kunanyi/Mt Wellington in the background, the three-legged staffy Sheila and a child's toy crab along with the family's caravan and tent in the centre.
"It's quite recognisable for a lot of people, the image of homelessness … housing, there's just not enough and it's unaffordable," Chew said.
"Not everyone can have the kind of income to pay rent, let alone to buy a house, so I think it's definitely got worse."
Not the first out-of-the-box landscape winner
Despite originally being a prize for traditional landscape artwork, the spectrum of works that win has become more fluid in recent years.
"It's extremely hard, there was so much diversity in what was submitted this year," judge Lucienne Rickard said.
"We had such a broad range; we have a weaving next to a collage, next to traditional paintings and that makes our job really difficult, in the best possible way."
In 2020, Glover Art Prize winner Robert O'Connor divided opinions with his meaty landscape, featuring a large chunk of meat "somewhere near Oatlands".
And despite this year's winner also making a social stance, Ms Rickard said it was an easy decision for the judges.
"Luckily there were no fights, this was my top pick, and we took several hours to come to the decision," she said.
"It's a landscape in a really interesting way, there are layers to this work and it's evident the painter is very clever so there's a reference to John Glover and the way that he painted, and there's also very contemporary elements like the tent.
"And we can also see elements of the Tasmanian landscape there with kunanyi/Mt Wellington so it's a landscape on many levels."
Social commentary not new for Glover
Tasmanian art critic Andrew Harper said social commentary had always been there in the Glover.
"If people are grumpy and saying, 'Oh, you have to do social commentary to win', I can't help but wonder that is not sour grapes on their part that they didn't get picked," he said.
He said a number of previous winners had pushed the definition of landscape painting.
"The Glover in recent years has been interrogating the idea of what a landscape painting might be.
"Some people just want nice landscapes for their house, that's absolutely fine, others want something more thought provoking — and never the twain shall meet.
"People say art is supposed to be beautiful but that is not really in line with the history of art."
