Since 2009, the IMA has had the honour of presenting the Jeremy Hynes Award to an experimental Queensland artist in the earlier stages of their career, from a bequest made by Jeremy Hynes‘s family in his name. This is the seventh year of this biennial award.

Entries are received via open call and assessed by a panel comprising artists and curators working in the experimental realm. The award recipient is given $10,000 and receives mentorship to produce a solo presentation at the IMA running May to July, 2022. Applicants will be assessed on their overall art practice with the support of the submitted written responses, CV, portfolio, and linked content. We are seeking applications which demonstrate experimentation, ambition in ideas, and artistic courage.

Jeremy Hynes was a key figure in the Brisbane art scene in the 1990s known for his daredevil performance art—lighting fires, smashing mirrors, and confining his audience to taxis. His experimental and courageous performances were a common highlight at the IMA and the artist run space ISNT.  Hynes’ exhibition ‘Macro-Surveillance’ was presented at the IMA in 2000.

The 2021 award recipient is Aha Ensemble. Past award recipients include Tay Haggarty, Lu Forsberg, Liam O’Brien, Chris Howlett, Alex Cuffe, and Aaron Burton.