UWA Arts Alumni Wins Academy Award!

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Shaun Tan at the Subiaco Library (photo: Frances Andrijich)

University of Western Australia (UWA) Bachelor of Arts Graduate, Shaun Tan, has won the 2011 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film!

Shaun won the Oscar for a 15-minute film based on his book The Lost Thing.

Multi-award winning Perth artist & sculpturist, Len Zuks who is also on the judging panel of UWA 3D Open Art Challenge, had the pleasure of helping hone Shaun's extraordinary talents in his formative years when Shaun attended gifted & talented arts classes in high school. "Wow Shaun, what an achievement. Recognition for your quirky and mischievous creative mind. As a student at Balcatta Special Arts Course, you were pretty quiet, but there was a smouldering strong core within you. In the passage of years since, you have released the magic to the world!"

Reflecting on the award, Shaun said, "How interesting it has been that an award like this makes one pause and reflect on a whole career history, from childhood to the present, which is not something I often do. It's a lot to think about: all the disparate influences, from high school art classes with inspiring tutors like Len, UWA academia, and years of pottering about in my parent's garage. At the end of the day, you're just trying to find the right personal path, but hey, quite unbelievable to find a gold statue suddenly appear in the middle of it!"

Kudos Shaun!
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