Catch
Winner of the Mid West Art Prize 2021
in the Collection of the City of Geraldton
A wonderful artwork and acquisition for a coastal city like Geraldton! When you look at the artwork, every element is thoroughly thought out and beautifully crafted. The skill, technical proficiency and thoughtful combination of forms and materials are perfect. There’s beautiful movement in the subtle colours evoking the movement of water and its’ catch of fish, and there is an emotive and moving story behind it. This work is both simple and elegant, shimmering yet under-stated. The mix and range of media is apt and stunning – sculpted wood, crochet, wire work, jewellery-making – again just wonderful craftsmanship. This is a timeless piece, a deserving piece. Congratulations Mikaela!
Jane King, Sandra Murray, Janis Nedela MWAP 2021
Animals in art have always represented equal parts science and religion, made for luck, control, education, propitiation, summoning and sacrifice. With our increasingly uneasy relationship with nature and the disconnect that exists between most of us and the origin of our food, fishing represents one of the few remaining portals to our hunting past. This votive work is a recreation of a childhood photo of the most successful cobbler catch of all. It is an offering and a trophy wall, thankfulness and satiation. It is reparation through resurrection and ritual. It is the summoning of elusive luck into physical form.
