Wealth for toil I

The banner is an ideal medium for Raquel Ormella, who is preoccupied with the capacity of art to effect social change. Known for exploring the social and political climate through her work, Ormella's banners for the Basil Sellers Art Prize address the problematic idea of national identity and the over-emphasis on winning in sport and its relation to national pride. The use of gold-coloured materials and the phrase 'golden promises' in Wealth for toil I (2014) invoke the importance of gold not only as a symbol for victory but also as a precious metal. Victoria's goldfields were once prosperous and their discovery transformed Australia's economy, population, and culture. Parallels can be drawn between the gold mining of yesteryear and the proliferation of Australia's mining industries today; the question of what happens to an economy based on mineral wealth when those assets dry up is salient in present times. Ormella's dismantling of 'golden promises' refers also to the 'promise of gold' that is integral to Australia's performance at the Olympic Games. Wealth for toil II (2014) is constructed of multiple bronze, silver and gold 'medals' placed over the Australian flag so that their absence spells out the phrase 'winners only'. Viewers might recall the public's sense of entitlement to Olympic glory and the anger that quickly emerged when Australia's swimming team didn't perform well at the 2012 London Olympics. The media quickly reduced the issue to one of dollars and cents, citing the annual budget for the Australian Institute of Sport and therefore the cost per medal. Ormella combines real coins with acrylic paint substitutes to form a layer of potent symbols that both obscure and reveal the Australian flag.