Finalists Announced For 2023 Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award

Portraits using a range of mediums including AI technology, video, whakairo (carving), raranga (weaving), pounamu, stainless steel, photography, ceramics, and oil painting are just some of the art works shortlisted in the country’s portraiture award in honour of Kiingi Tuheitia.

Portrait of Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero Vll. Photographer – Trina Edwards. 

The award, a partnership between the Office of the Kiingitanga and the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, was launched in 2020 to inspire a new generation of emerging Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna (ancestors).

The competition attracted an impressive 96 entries, of which 44 have been selected for the short-list and will form the finalists exhibition.

Artists were given an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage while competing for a First Prize of $20,000. The Runner-Up and Forsyth Barr People's Choice Award provide $2,500 respectively.

Entries were open to emerging Māori artists who have either created an artwork within the last two years or wished to create an artwork especially for the competition, using any visual medium, with whakapapa (genealogical) connections to the depicted tūpuna.

Entries were received from all over the country and from artists residing overseas. Art works in the finalist exhibition come from as far north as Northland to as far south as Otago and also include entries from Māori artists living in Australia.

Six of the 44 shortlisted were also finalists in the inaugural Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award in 2021, including winner Bodie Friend. Interestingly, female artists outnumber males by 2 to 1, with 28 female and 14 males shortlisted.

The finalist artworks were selected by a distinguished panel comprising renowned artists who will judge and announce the winners at the opening of the exhibition. The judges are multi-disciplinary, portrait artist Graham Hoete aka "Mr G" (Ngati Awa, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Ranginui), researcher, artist, arts educator and curator, Steve Gibbs (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Rongomaiwahine), and artist Lisa Reihana (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāi Tūteauru, Ngāi Tupoto), who is known around the world for her portraits and digital art.

Reflecting on the entries, Director of the Gallery Jaenine Parkinson says:

“The quality of entries was extremely high, with everyone paying great respect to their tūpuna as they depicted them in the various mediums. Because this award does not limit artists to a specific medium, we are delighted to see the creative innovations emerging Māori artists have brought to articulating their whakapapa. This promises to be an exciting exhibition, which we can’t wait to share with audiences across Aotearoa ”

The winning artworks will be announced on Wednesday 24 May 2023 and the exhibition will be shown at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakata in Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront from Thursday 25 May – Sunday 20 August, entry is free. Finalist artworks will then tour the country.

The full list of finalists can be found at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery website.

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