1999 Pacific Art Award Winners Announced

Pacific-Business-Trust 1999 Pacific Art Award Winners Announced

The 1999 Pacific Art Awards has produced two stunning winners from the North Island.

Nearly 100 pieces were entered, and along with the overall winners who are from Hamilton and Auckland, there are a number of highly commended pieces from Wanganui, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland [again]. All 1999 entries will be on display to the public throughout August.

The Awards, organised by the Pacific Business Trust were established in 1997 and contain two categories - open/teriary and secondary school, with cash prizes provided. Artists are encourged to use a variety of mediums with each entry accompanied by a written explanation.

The 1999 Pacific Art Awards brief has been taken from a conference paper by senior lecturer at Auckland University's School of Architecture, Mike Austin which examines the concept of "Fashioning the Pacific" - the relationship between land and sea.

Winner of the open/tertiary section (tertiary students and practising artists) is Waikato University student, Emily Mafileo from Hamilton. Emily's piece "Faka'ahua" is a sculptural work made from a variety of material including driftwood, scrap metal and tin and represents environmental issues facing people of the Pacfic, in particular her whanau in Tonga. Emily receives $3500, with a further $2000 divided between the highly commended artists.

The secondary section was awarded to Alex Carter of Senior College of New Zealand, based in central Auckland.

Her piece is entitled "Pacific Constructs" and is a mixed media work encompassing both print and fibre art methodologies. Alex receives a prize of $1000 plus $1000 work of art supplies for her school. All prizes are courtesy of the Pacific Business Trust.

Judges included Mike Austin (senior lecturer, Auckland University School of Architecture), Karen Stevenson (lecturer in Pacific Art, Canterbury University), Dagmar Dyck (artist), Filipe Tohi (artist), Convenor of the judging panel is Albert Refiti.

The judges commented that this year's entries were most sophisticated with a wide variety of works, in particular installations and free-standing pieces. They felt that the artists had captured the true-sense of this year's brief and used a more complex traslation (than in past Awards) of it.

Chief Executive of the Pacific Business Trust, Frances Hartnell says the Trust has established the Pacific Arts Awards to promote a pacific art identity among aspiring artists in New Zealand within a commercial environment.

"As the Awards progress from year to year, we are seeing a more diverse range of works. This is giving the Pacific Art Awards exhibition a uniqueness each time," Ms Hartnell says.

The 1999 Pacific Art Awards will be on display at the Contemporary Pacific Art Gallery located at South Markets, 731 Great South Road, Auckland from Wednesday 4 August 1999.

ENDS....

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