Fffuture Fffocused Art Prize Announced

Media release – 5 July, 2017

Fffuture Fffocused Art Prize Announced

Printo Moorth Inaugural Supreme Winner

Exhibition Runs: Saturday 17 June – Sunday 16 July 2017

Image credits: (from left) Printo Moorth, courtesy of the artist; Atapa Snana (installation view), Printo Moorth, watercolour on handmade paper, 2016. Image: Daegan Wells.

Northland artist and nurse, Printo Moorth, has won the inaugural Fffuture Fffocused Art Prize (FFAP), as announced at an awards dinner at The Physics Room on Saturday 1 July.

Their work, Atapa Snana, comprises a number of circular watercolours of the sun painted on handmade paper, which Moorth believes can have a therapeutic effect on viewers.

Judges Serene Hu and Roeland Simons said they were impressed by the calibre of the work on show but came to a decision fairly quickly. Said Simons, “With my construction background, I saw the works as building blocks, and related to the building industry, and with your [Serene’s] medical background, you thought about cell structures and looking under a microscope."

“There is a raft of things that you digest as you go into the room… microscopic levels, combinations of colours and shapes, looking at it as a satellite or universal structure… We thought, this is so simple, yet so complex."

Moorth first started painting as a means of dealing with the rigors of volunteering in South Sudan. In response to winning, they said, “I’m very humbled … I’m just happy to have the opportunity to show my work. And all I want is for people to see my work and to feel a bit better, about themselves, and the future. I believe Balamohan, [Balamohan Shingade who spoke earlier in the day at the panel discussion], and I are kindred spirits, I, too, think the future is bright and positive."

The prize package includes a 1997 Nissan Bluebird, a 1999 Mazda Capella, and a six month unpaid internship with Director of The Physics Room, Jamie Hanton.

Hanton says that “although the organisation probably could have benefitted more directly from Clarchat Scintal’s clairvoyance, or Cabbage’s canine charms” he is nonetheless looking forward to “having a restorative and rejuvenating presence in the office."

The FFAP was established by Riff Raff, a collaborative artist duo comprised of Li- Ming Hu and Daphne Simons, with the aim of inspiring the nation’s artists to engage with the all important concept of the future. Following a critical review from Warren Feeney in EyeContact, in which the project was described as “little more than a prank for its own sake”, it is as yet unconfirmed whether the prize will be offered again next year.

Riff Raff originated as a semi-imaginary artist-run space started by Li-Ming Hu and Daphne Simons in mid-2016. Previous projects include: Trust Us, Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington, 2017 and Are We There Yet?, Glovebox, Auckland, 2016.

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