Wellington Artists Score High in the NZ Art Show Award Finals

The NZ Art Show has selected 10 outstanding artworks as finalists for the show’s principal award, the $3,000 Brendan Foot Supersite Signature Piece Art Award. Six of the finalists hail from the Wellington region.

The award is the ‘People’s Choice’ award with the winner being decided by a public vote over the four day Show. This year’s NZ Art Show is being held in the TSB Bank Arena over Queen’s Birthday Weekend, from Friday, 3 June to 6 June 2016.

One of the judges, Jane Hart, said, “Choosing only ten pieces was a very difficult decision to make. It took us two days to whittle it down to the final ten and we are delighted with what we chose. The artists present a diverse range of media, styles and themes. We hope that visitors to the show will vote vigourously for their favourites.”

All attendees to the show over the course of the four day show may vote and the artwork that receives the most votes is declared the winner.

Carla Russell, the NZ Art Show’s Executive Director said, “Now in its eighth year, this award has become a premier award for artists and it comes with significant benefits. The award is more than a $3,000 prize – it provides artists with additional recognition and profile, and has helped many recipients establish their careers as full-time professional artists. The award’s sponsor, Lower Hutt car dealership Brendan Foot Supersite, share our commitment and we are truly grateful for their support.’

The 10 finalists and their selected works are:

‘Balance 1’, charcoal drawing by Bruce Mortimer. This is Bruce’s second nomination for this award. Bruce recently held an artist in residence position in the Lambton Quay, Wellington branch of ASB where he demonstrated his creative skills. The resultant artwork, ‘Serenity’ will be auctioned at the show’s Gala event.

‘Mark Knopfler – Princess Bride Soundtrack’, oil on canvas by Auckland artist Toby Raine. Toby was the inaugural recipient of the RT Nelson Emerging Artist Award in 2012. He is renowned for his distorted semi-abstract faces.

‘Cascade’, mixed media sculpture by Paekakariki artist Sebastian Jaunas. Originally from France, Sebastien Jaunas has been a resident of Paekakariki for 8 years. Strongly influenced by found organic objects and the landscape of New Zealand he also draws on his time living in Paris and travels through Asia and California. He uses mixed media, bronze, forged steel, ceramic and wood to create poetic, architectural forms

‘Tentative Beings’, acrylic on canvas by Joe Helmore. Joe is a full time emerging artist and this is the second year in a row year the Joe has been nominated as a finalist for this award. In 2015 he moved to Australia with the long term goal of making a strong impact on the Australian art scene.

‘Of Jagged Black Rocks IV’, inks on canvas by Micheline Robinson. A resident of Paraparaumu, Micheline is a French-Canadian expat painter and has lived in NZ since December 2012. She describes her bold abstract artworks as ‘a kind of dance with inks’

‘Old Bank Morning’, oil on canvas by Wellington artist James Brewer. This is the first time that James has exhibited with the NZ Art Show and he will be presenting a series of paintings depicting old Wellington banks.

‘Untitled 6, from the series ‘Ordinary Place’, photograph by Lara Gilks, Wellington. Lara exhibited with the NZ Art Show for the first time in 2015 where she was also a finalist for the Signature award. Her ghostly surreal photographs were instantly popular.

‘Untitled 09’, lightbox photograph by ro0m. Wellington-based photographer ro0m often shoots at night and the light from the light boxes intensify the night-time theme, offering tranquil and thoughtful scenes.

‘Terror From Within’, mixed media by Taranaki artist John Shewry. Through his bold and diverse artworks John draws attention to social and political matters.

‘Yellowstone Afterlife’, print on canvas by Liam O’Keefe. Liam is a digital artist based in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast. His limited Edition canvas prints focus on wildlife, birdlife and landscapes, combined with modern mid-century geometric influences.

ENDS

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