54 Sculptures Announced As Finalists For R.T Nelson Awards For Sculpture 2023

The R.T Nelson Awards for Sculpture selection panel has selected 54 artworks as finalists, representing a diverse range of styles and materials, including pounamu, stone, wood, glass, bronze, stainless steel, urethane, silver, gold, clay, copper, concrete, feathers, taxidermy, resin, and harakeke. The awards, founded by Wellington businessman, philanthropist, and art collector Richard T Nelson, champion small-scale sculpture, with a total prize pool of $20,000, including a Premier prize of $15,000 and five highly commended prizes of $1,000 each.

One of the selected artworks is a collaboration between an artist and her bees, using beeswax as the primary material. Te Horo artist Kim Kobialko, who has been working with encaustic (wax paintings) for several years, was inspired to create a beeswax sculpture for the awards. "I began thinking how I could take the beeswax into a 3D sculptural form and push the boundaries of what I already do," says Kim. "There was a lot of experimenting and trial and error before the bees played ball. But we got there in the end. I'm delighted with the result."

Whilst this technique is not unique, bee-generated sculptures are quite rare. Carla Russell, Executive Director of the Awards, is excited by the concept. "I don't know of anyone else in New Zealand creating this type of sculpture, and it will definitely be a first for these awards," says Carla. "Overall, I'm delighted at some of the ingenious ways artists are presenting their materials."

Wellington fine-jeweller Steph Lusted attended the 2022 Awards exhibition and was inspired to enter.

“The exhibition was great last year, very diverse with high-quality craftsmanship” says Steph. “It is so rare to have small scale works focused on, especially with an awards opportunity so I am really looking forward to taking part."

Amongst the finalists are New Plymouth studio and street artist MILARKY, multi-award-winning film and television production designer Rob Gillies, and bronze sculptor Jonathan Campbell from Lower Hutt, a previous finalist and winner of one of these awards. Jonathan's wife, Anna, has also been selected as a finalist. Sydney-based Emily Valentine, whose works encompass taxidermy and feathers, will be submitting two works.

Emily Valentine

"The calibre of talent of the finalists is exceptional, and this year's exhibition promises to be another high-quality show," says Carla. "Richard appreciates the elegance and grace of sculpture and wishes to reward technique and true craftsmanship through this award." This is the third year of the awards, and 20 of the artists have won awards in this or other competitions.

The finalists' list is available on the website - https://sculptureawards.nz/award-finalists-2023/. All sculptures will be available for sale.

ABOUT THE R.T NELSON AWARDS FOR SCULPTURE

These awards recognise excellence in New Zealand sculpture and seek to foster a market for small scale sculpture, so collectors can enjoy them within their homes.

The awards are valued at $20,000 with a premier prize of $15,000 and five highly commended prizes of $1000 each.

The R.T. Nelson Awards for Sculpture aim to celebrate excellence in New Zealand sculpture and promote a market for small-scale sculptures that can be enjoyed in collectors' homes. With a total value of $20,000, the awards feature a $15,000 premier prize and five highly commended prizes of $1,000 each.

Hosted by the annual NZ Art Show in Wellington, the finalist artworks will be exhibited and available for purchase at the TSB Arena on Queens Wharf during King’s Birthday Weekend. Winners will be announced at a private function on June 1, with the exhibition opening to the public on June 2 and 3.

The awards exhibition will be closed for viewing on June 4; however, the NZ Art Show will still be open that day.

The awards were founded by Richard T. Nelson in 2021. An avid art collector and philanthropist, he originally hails from the USA, and has called Wellington, NZ home for past 25 years. Degrees from Yale and Stanford Universities followed by a successful career in Investments has enabled Richard to pursue his love of art.

Visit https://sculptureawards.nz/ for more information, including images of previous award recipients.

ABOUT THE NZ ART SHOW

· The NZ Art Show is an annual indoor 3-day art show held at TSB Arena on Wellington's waterfront, exhibiting over 2,000 artworks by around 200 artists.

· The 2023 show will be held over King's Birthday Weekend, 2-4 June 2022, with private viewings for Friends and Sponsors on June 1st.

· The NZ Art Show has been showcasing New Zealand art since 2004, making the 2023 show its 20th anniversary.

· It is New Zealand's largest sale of original affordable art by emerging and established New Zealand artists in a dynamic and inspiring environment.

· The show is a carefully curated art exhibition that sets the standard for an exceptional and professional, yet very accessible art experience.

· All artists have been subject to a selection process, promising an exhibition of quality contemporary art.

· The artworks exhibited at the show are exclusive to the NZ Art Show.

· The show is considered Aotearoa's favourite art show, with artists and art lovers coming back each year.

· All artists are New Zealanders, demonstrating Aotearoa's wealth of creative talent.

· 90 of the exhibiting artists will be onsite for the duration of the show, allowing attendees to meet the artists and get first-hand accounts of the artworks' background.

· The NZ Art Show is the most successful art show of its kind in Aotearoa, with upwards of 10,000 attendees every year, thousands of artworks, hundreds of artists, and record art sales.

· All art is for sale at accessible and affordable rates, with prices ranging from $50 to $5,000 and an average price of $1,250.

· The NZ Art Show has been a springboard for launching the careers of many artists onto the national and international art stage.

· QUICK STATISTICS FROM THE PAST 19 YEARS OF THE NZ ART SHOW

· More than 5,000 NZ artists represented

· $18.5 million of art sold

· Around $13.5 million returned back to the artists themselves

· Around 50,000 artworks exhibited

· Nearly 27,000 artworks sold

· $176,000 presented to artists in award programmes

· Over 160,000 people have attended the shows

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