What: Aotearoa New Zealand’s contemporary art prize exhibition, The Walters Prize 2021, is set to open at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki on Saturday 15 May.
This year marks the 10th iteration of the biennial award, which is the richest contemporary art prize in the country.
The Walters Prize 2021 exhibition will feature the work of nominated artists Fiona Amundsen, Sonya Lacey, Mata Aho Collective and Sriwhana Spong.
Fiona Amundsen will show in its entirety her impactful installation, A Body that Lives, 2018, which through video documentary focuses on three key episodes of Japanese experience during World War II. This poignant installation includes photographic images which extend the narratives.
Sonia Lacey will exhibit Weekend, 2018–21, with collage, video, film and sculptural forms that result from her research into the St Bride Foundation, London. Two significant new sculptural works will expand her investigation of this 19th-century leisure centre, a place of respite for working professionals in the great English city.
The Mata Aho Collective present their work Atapō, 2020. Co-created with senior artist Maureen Lander, Atapō was originally commissioned for Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Maori Art (2020–21). For the Prize, the sculpture’s presentation has been dramatically reimagined.
Sriwhana Spong will exhibit The painter-tailer, 2019-21, which centres around the home of her paternal Balinese grandfather. Never seen before in New Zealand, this materially rich mixed-media artwork will include Spong’s ‘personal orchestra’: a collection of sculptural instruments inspired by the Indonesian gamelan.
The winner of the Walters Prize 2021 will be announced at a gala dinner to be held on Saturday 7 August.
Where: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Cnr Kitchener and Wellesley Streets Auckland, New Zealand
When: Saturday 15 May 2021 to Sunday 5 September 2021
For more information visit aucklandartgallery.com