Finalists for 2019 National Contemporary Art Award announced

Fifty-one artists are vying for the $27,000 of prize money in the 2019 National Contemporary Art Award.

Highly decorated artist Fiona Pardington is judging this year’s award and has selected 53 works by 51 artists as the finalists.

The successful works were selected through a blind judging process in which Pardington reviewed images, artists’ statements, and video without knowing the identity of the artist.

“It’s always hard for one artist to judge another artist’s work and I found this very difficult, especially when presented with works out of context,” she says.

“There were so many wonderful entries and, sadly, not all could be included in my final selection.”

The award is managed by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, which will host an exhibition of the finalists from 3 August to 10 November 2019.

Tompkins Wake and Chow:Hill are the major sponsors and have increased the first prize for 2019 from $20,000 to $25,000 in recognition of the award’s 20th year.

The Hugo Charitable Trust sponsors the Hugo Award for the Runner-Up, with the recipient receiving $5000, and two merit award winners will receive $1000 sponsored by Friends of Waikato Museum and Random Art Group.

The $250 Campbell Smith Memorial People’s Choice Award winner will be decided by public votes during the exhibition season.

The winners will be decided in situ at Waikato Museum and announced at an awards ceremony on 2 August.

“For those that didn’t make it, I’d encourage them to try again next year, and for the finalists, I look forward to seeing them in the flesh to make my final decision,” says Pardington. “It’s going to be a wonderful exhibition and I thank the artists for their efforts in entering.”

The finalists for the 2019 National Contemporary Art Award are:

• Carrie Andrews, Cambridge
• Claudia Avril, Hamilton
• Caryline Boreham, Auckland
• Jen Bowmast, Motueka
• Matthew Browne, Auckland
• Trish Campbell, Auckland
• Hikalu Clarke and Wilson Ong, Auckland
• Geoffrey Paul Clarke, Hamilton
• Andrea du Chatenier, Whanganui
• Russ Flatt, Auckland
• Cat Fooks, Auckland
• Aaron Frater, Wellington
• Jo Giddens, Whanganui
• Ayesha Green, Dunedin
• Jacquelyn Greenbank, Christchurch
• Thomas Hancock, Lower Hutt
• Weilun Ha, Auckland
• Arie Hellendoorn, Lower Hutt
• Jane Johnson-Matua, Rotorua
• Marilyn Jones, Wellington
• Jonathan Kay, Wellington
• Andrew Keall, Northland
• Teresa HR Lane, Auckland
• Tim Larkin, Wellington
• Jae Hoon Lee, Auckland
• Kate Leslie, Wellington
• Kate Lepper, Wellington
• Christina Little, Tawa
• Johnathan Lovering, Wellington
• Gina Matchitt, Wellington
• Alice McDonald, Whanganui
• Julian McKinnon, Auckland
• Sam Mitchell, Auckland
• Chris Mules, Thames
• Ashton Lexie Northcott, Napier
• Gerry Parke, Auckland
• Robyn Penn, Johannesburg (double finalist)
• Oleg Polounine, Auckland
• Amy Potenger, Auckland
• Andrew Rankin, Auckland
• Michelle Reid, Auckland
• Danae Ripley, Auckland
• Micheline Robinson, Paraparaumu
• Mandy Rodger, Auckland (double finalist)
• Cathy Tuato'o Ross, Whangarei
• Kirsten Smith, Auckland
• Matthew Turner, Hamilton
• Gene Paul Walker, Gisborne
• Laura Williams, Auckland
• Jana Wood, Auckland
• Cole Zeal, Wellington

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