Established in 1995 by Founding Director, Campbell Robertson-Swann, Defiance Gallery has built a reputation for uncompromising quality and exhibiting some of the finest contemporary art in Australia. Defiance Gallery represents a varied and innovative stable of established Australian and international artists in both painting and sculpture, as well as talented newcomers to these fields, with a particular emphasis on the abstract. The Gallery’s stalwart support for sculpture has marked it as the leading Australian exhibition space for this form. Defiance also represents the estates of several of Australia’s most influential artists including those of Ian McKay, Roy Jackson and Peter Powditch.

The diverse exhibition calendar includes solo shows, curated group exhibitions and ‘encounters’, where invited artists work to a brief outside their normal studio practice. Defiance Gallery also facilitates and curates a wide variety of satellite exhibitions in collaboration with institutions such as the Nock Art Foundation, Hong Kong and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Defiance Gallery has a longstanding history of supporting artists and providing opportunities to challenge and further an artist’s career. In conjunction with our generous host partners, the gallery provides its artists access to a number of artist residencies. With the peaceful seclusion, artists are given the freedom of the landscape to explore, engage and foster their creative vision.

This award is presented to two unrepresented artists chosen from the entrants to the Paddington Art Prize each year. The award recipients are offered a joint exhibition at Defiance Gallery Mary Place. They also receive an invitation to one of the artist's residencies Defiance Gallery is affiliated with. The 2020 Defiance Award was also generously supported by Artist Profile Magazine, Pigment Lab and Noyce Brothers Wine.