Alfred Lowe

Rigg Design Prize (2025) Winner, National Gallery of Victoria

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The Aranda designer's winning work, a pair of giant clay vessels, speaks to the way we lean on each other in both good and bad times.
Using clay hand building techniques and raffia adornments, Lowe’s work 'You and me, us never part' is an ode to his Country and community.
‘You and me, us never part is a declaration of love to my community. These works stand side by side holding their own space while joining in communion. They embrace collectivism and reject the self-made… They stand as witnesses – celebrating, commemorating and holding each other accountable.’

Photographer: image courtesy, National Gallery of Victoria

Alfred Lowe

Ramsay Art Prize (2025) Finalist, Art Gallery of South Australia

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Alfred Lowe’s practice, which is concerned with contemporary ways of navigating and manifesting identity and culture, is influenced by both the beautiful landscape of Central Australia, where he grew up, and its often-charged politics. These opposing ideals of beauty and pain fuel the artist’s exploration of what it means to exist simultaneously in two conflicting extremes. By using radically contrasting materials, textures and colours, Lowe explore what it means to exist outside binary ideals.

Alfred Lowe

Wynne Prize (2025) Finalist, Art Gallery of New South Wales

"Lone dancer" was the largest work made to date in Alfred Lowe’s ongoing series All dressed up, measuring 122 x 80 x 80 cm. A self-taught artist working through the APY Art Centre Collective’s Tarntanya/Adelaide studio, Lowe is interested in investigating themes of beauty and the human pursuit of perfection. His work compares idealised self-presentation to imperfections found in the natural world. ‘We try to present ourselves to the world as flawless, but when you look at the natural world like the mountains in Central Australia, it is the flaws that create beauty,’ explains Lowe.

Bold, colourful and unapologetically expressive, Lone dancer commands attention. Lowe considers the work to be joyfully defiant of perfection. ‘Its presence rejects expectations, ignores preconceptions and embraces joy,’ says Lowe. ‘You can love the work or hate the work, but you can’t ignore it.’ Black raffia, inspired by cultural adornments, spills from the centre of the work, reflecting Lowe’s interest in navigating culture and identity in contemporary contexts. This is his first time as a finalist in the Wynne Prize.