Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award: ‘Extremely high quality’ level of entries

Entries to the 2021 inaugural Kiingi Tuheitia Portrait Award. Photo / RNZ

By RNZ

Almost half the 96 entries to this year’s Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award have been shortlisted, with an extremely high quality level of entries, an organiser says.

This is only the second round of the competition; the biennial award was launched in 2020 to inspire a new generation of emerging Māori artists to create portraits of their tūpuna, and first held in 2021.

It was created in a partnership between the Office of the Kiingitanga and the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, which runs it.

This year’s entries were created in a range of mediums, including AI technology, video, whakairo (carving), raranga (weaving), pounamu, stainless steel, photography, ceramics, and oil painting.

And the artworks lined up to feature in the finalist exhibition have come from throughout the motu, including from as far north as Northland and as far south as Otago, with some of the entries from Māori artists living in Australia.

Winning artworks would be announced on May 24, with the exhibition then shown at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakata in Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront from May 25 till August 20.

The first prize winner will receive $20,000, while the runner-up and the entrant awarded the people’s choice award will each receive $2500.

Last year's winning entry, a portrait of Nana Pat, by Brodie Friend. Photo / RNZ

Distinguished artists such as Graham Hoeta (Mr G), Steve Gibbs and Lisa Reihana are among those on the judging panel.

New Zealand Portrait Gallery director Jaenine Parkinson said the bar had been set very high this year.

“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.”

Six of the shortlisted artists were also finalists in 2021, including the winner of the first year of the competition, Brodie Friend.