You don't have to be a seasoned collector to grasp the beauty of Firstdraft's annual auction. The organisation is Australia's longest-running artist-led initiative and aims to champion emerging and local artists with free exhibitions and artist fees, among many other things. To afford to keep things free, every year it hosts a silent auction to raise funds from works contributed by artists who have come up through its ranks.
This means for its 2022 auction, you get your hands on artwork from major names like Ken Done and Tony Albert, as well as other local and emerging artists such as Gillian Kayrooz, Kai Wasikowski, Samuel Hodge, Thea Perkins, Nadia Hernández, Paul Yore, Ben Quilty, Amrita Hepi, Visaya Hoffie, Consuelo Cavaniglia, Rosie Deacon, Dean Cross, and many more.
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Kicking off today, the auction spans one week and will continue until November 18, when Firstdraft will host a free artist party to celebrate. There will be music from Del Lumanta and Wikkid Bandit, as well as drinks and snack supplied by Atomic, Four Pillars, Calendar Cheese Company, and Simon Johnson.
To bid on any of the 200 artworks available, simply head to the Firstdraft website and register for the auction. From there you can view the works, place bids, make donations – get involved whichever way you like. You can also do the same but in-person if that's more your speed, as First draft is showcasing the works for the duration of the auction.
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As always, $30 gets you an entry into the Mystery Safe, a raffle where entrants have the opportunity to win a number of any 13 mystery artworks contributed. The total prize pool for the works included is valued at $5000 and you can enter up to 20 times, so what are you waiting for?
To take part in the auction head to the Firstdraft website for more details.
Images:
One: Nadia Hernandez ¡TRA! Comenzando, 2020, oil on linen, 46 × 61 cm
Two: Amber Koroluk Stephenson, Princess X 2, after Brancusi, 2019, oil on linen, 30.5 x 30.5
