Hundreds of artists apply for the 2019 NZ Art Show

Hundreds of artists apply for the 2019 NZ Art Show - 200 Exhibitors Confirmed

The artists for the 2019 NZ Art Show have now been finalised and anticipation is high for what is set to be an outstanding exhibition.

This year’s show will feature nearly 200 artists during the 4-day event over Queen’s Birthday Weekend at Wellington’s TSB Arena, celebrating NZ’s largest sale of affordable, original NZ artworks.

A broad range of media and styles will be represented and will include glass, bronze, ceramic and wood sculptures, photographic and original prints, and oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings. A range of non-conventional media will also be exhibited including feather art, pyrography and encaustic.

Executive Director Carla Russell is delighted at the calibre of the artists.

‘Hundreds of artists applied for the show this year and the standard of applicants were so high that it was a very difficult job making the final selection,’ says Russell

‘I am thrilled with the exceptional talent and fresh energy that will be showcased this year and I can assure art lovers that they will be wowed and proud. There’s going to be so many exciting artworks to enjoy and in addition to the favourite regulars, 60 of the artists are first-timers at the show, ensuring lots of new talent in this year’s line up.’

Now going into its 16th year, the NZ Art Show celebrates art from emerging artists, established artists, and all those in between, nurturing and supporting them in the various stages of their career. The show has also established itself as the premier place for New Zealander’s to start or grow their art collection.

Adding further interest to the show are fifteen RT Nelson Emerging Artist Award finalists, artists who are currently studying at, or have recently graduated from a New Zealand art school. The finalists will be judged at the show and four winners will receive cash prizes of $2,500 each.

‘These finalists will present a very strong collection; the art schools they represent should be very proud of their students,’ says Russell.

‘’One of the things I love about the show,’ continues Russell ‘is that it helps launch the careers of so many young artists in the early stages of their journey, and we feel immensely proud that we have been a part of that. There is also the opportunity for the emerging artists to gain valuable feedback and affirmation from some of the more established practitioners there.’

Carla’s picks:

‘I‘m really excited about the RT Nelson Emerging Artist Award finalists. Here are just three of the fifteen talented emerging artists.’

Wellington painter Chad Bevan is currently completing his studies at College of Creative Arts, Massey University. His pared back oil paintings are referenced from photographs he compiled during a series of walks. Inspired by early 20th Century American painters who were influenced by the rapid industrialisation that transformed their surroundings, Chad has enlisted a similar approach to paint handling and colour palette in an attempt to evoke poignant tones of reflection, conveying a similar sense of estrangement from the world.

Auckland artist Gerry Parke recently completed his MFA with First class honours from Whitecliffe Art School. His bold contemporary mixed media paintings are directed at the deep-rooted tradition of figurative painting. His current body of paintings use photographic references to capture men enacting recognisable manifestations of masculinity. The resulting compositions highlight the rhythms that occur between the figures.

Korean artist Vivian Jin graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University in 2018. In her ‘Disaster’ series she explores the appropriation of Korean politics, incidents, and history. She translates news videos and photographs, taking a selection of the images and turning them into simplified drawings. In the process, she re-images and reduces complex imagery to its most essential two dimensional elements.

Other artists to look out for:

For New Plymouth artist Volker Hawinghorst, design has been the main focus of his work. As a trained cabinet maker, he has a strong foundation of solid craftsmanship and a keen eye for detail. He created his first big sculpture in the early ‘90s for Lufthansa German Airlines at the new Munich airport. For several decades he worked as an architect in international environments. After moving from Germany to New Zealand, Volker started exploring new media to express his creativity. The aesthetics of recycled materials became more and more significant and he is intrigued by being able to give something that is considered useless a new sense of usefulness.

While we’ve seen Wellington photographer Bella Foster in the show before, she is very definitely an emerging artist: at only 16 years of age she is forging a creative path inspired by her grandfather photographer Bruce Foster. ‘Lost in California’, her third collection since she took up photography in 2015, is a thoughtful and sometimes humourous collection of Bella’s observations from both Los Angeles and Palm Springs. The tone and mood of this work is distinctly Californian, with blues, greens and pink hues dominant throughout.

A full list of the confirmed artists can be seen on the NZ Art Show website here - https://www.artshow.co.nz/artists-selected-for-the-2019-nz-art-show/

The NZ Art Show is held at Wellington’s TSB Arena over Queen’s Birthday weekend. Tickets are available from nzartshow.co.nz for $12 (adults), $8 (concession) and under 12yrs free entry.

More information about the NZ Art Show can be found on the show’s website here: https://www.artshow.co.nz/

ENDS

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