I've been shortlisted for an art prize
With gratitude and excitement, I can tell you I’ve been shortlisted for ZAWAA25, with my work, ‘It’s really all about the light’ [Rakahuri], 2024.
I'm really pleased to have another chance to show this work in the ZAWAA25 exhibition - out of the archive and into the world again! - but I'm not satisfied with this post as an announcement alone, because Waymarkers is my inner workings externalised.
The award (formally known as ZAFAA until this year), was first brought to my attention when Janna van Hasselt was shortlisted for ZAFAA20 (and won the Premier Award!) and again when Audrey Baldwin won the Premier Award for ZAFAA22 . Here were two friends with creative practices I admired and looked up to, doing a thing called ZAFAA. Proper artists doing artist awards. In those times I was taking tiny, tentative steps into art-making, and their accolades were lofty and cool to me.
And, those accolades were, and are, definitely cool, but they're not as inaccessible as it appeared to me then. For anyone who needs to hear this, awards are for everyone who makes the effort to read the criteria and enter them before the deadline.
As artists we have to scratch away at opportunities, be they jumping onto the ones already available, or making our own. It's about getting shit done, and only a little, teeny part of it is the production of the art itself. Once you start getting said shit done, even if you are only taking those tiny, tentative steps towards projects and goals - and keeping it regular, a practice - you gain traction and confidence. I must add that my efforts are always uplifted by my art besties. Always.
If I wasn’t sure about something, an old friend of mine would often say, “If you don’t go, you don’t know.” A simple sentiment, but it's one I say to myself now whenever I face something daunting, too-hard-basket, and I applied it for this prize. What do I have to lose by not having a go? I can answer that. Last year I entered the Parkin Drawing Prize and I was not shortlisted. I lost about three hours of my time and $90, so, not zip all, but nothing to cry about.
Goodness, it's late. I was determined to make this announcement a post and not a lazy Instagram flick. I've said what I wanted to, but I've run out of functional minutes to really polish it for you.
Anyway, here is the official stuff now.
You can read more about the award and the shortlisted artists below:
The award winners will be announced at the exhibition opening on Friday, 07 March at 7pm at the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum. Coinciding with the awards ceremony is the opening of a solo exhibition by Marie Porter, the Premier Award winner for ZAWAA24.
I loved Marie's work in the ZAWAA24 show and can't wait to see what she does.
Goodnight.
