I feel very honoured to be a finalist in this year's Gallipoli Art Prize Exhibition which is held annually at the Gallipoli Memorial CLub

in Sydney, Circular Quay, this being my fourth time as a finalist. I also have felt very supported by the club having purchased my 2022  finalist work for their permanent collection.

 

Penelope Oates

Gallipoli Art Prize Artwork Statement 2026

The Lonesome Pine

A famous photograph from 1915 captured a solitary surviving Turkish Pine on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the only tree left on the ridge after Turkish forces cut down the remaining trees for timber to cover their trenches. This surviving tree marked the Battle of Lone Pine and was named the ‘Lonesome Pine’ after a popular song of the day. Despite the tree being destroyed early in the battle, Australian soldiers brought cones home from this tree… growing descendants that now serve as living memorials across Australia.

 The lone pine stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and endurance, qualities that continue to resonate across the world today with continued uncertainty, conflict, and loss. Nature offers a quiet counterpoint to this…it shows us how to bend without breaking, how to regenerate after destruction, how to stand tall even when the landscape around us may have changed forever.