Hallucinogenic urn wins top prize

8 October 2013

Hallucinogenic urn wins top prize

The winners of the 7th Annual Objective Art Awards, part of Southside Arts Festival, were announced on Friday 4 October at the Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku.

With more than 100 entries nationwide it was Wellington-based artist Richard Stratton who took out the premier award for ‘Treacle Hallucinogenic Urn’, an elegant antique style ceramic urn with a mixture of orange lozenge and tiger striped clay.

The Objective Art Awards, produced by Auckland Council, are the premier awards for object art in New Zealand. This year the whakataukī/theme was Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua – People come and go, the land remains.

“These awards draw some of the best object artists in New Zealand and there are some phenomenal contributions to our artistic landscape. Richard’s entry ‘Treacle Hallucinogenic Urn’ showcases a rare and sought after mastery of materials,” says Auckland Council Art and Culture Manager, Kaye Glamuzina.

Octavia Cook, guest judge and prolific New Zealand jeweller says that ‘Treacle Hallucinogenic Urn’ is an homage to the fusion of Chinese and European ceramic traditions and uses the centuries old technique of agateware. This work is imbued with layers of meaning and represents the melting pot of cultures that is Aotearoa today.”

The runner up for Objective Art Awards 2013 was Fran Allison, for ‘My Place’, a camouflage lei commenting on the French nuclear testing on Mururoa Atoll. Third place was awarded to Ross Malcolm for “Pseudo Curio’, a wooden broach based on New Zealand’s only flowering parasitical plant.

These winning pieces as well as other submissions from the Objective Art Awards 2013 are on display at the Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku until Sunday 1 December. All works in the exhibition are for sale.

For more information see www.southside.org.nz

ENDS

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