Winning Selection Of Aotearoa’s Finest New Works Announced At The 2022 Portage Ceramic Awards

Te Uru is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 Portage Ceramic Awards, with Richard Penn being named as the Premier Award Winner for his clay collection Artefacts. The second place award goes to Helen Perrett for her work No space in my head.
 
Also included in the announcement are Merit Award winners Evelyn Hodowany for 12 pack #1 “I can’t spare a square”, Elena Renker’s Three tea bowls, and Dorothy Waetford for AO and HR. 
 
Reflecting the creativity and ingenuity of Aotearoa’s top artists working with clay, the awards provide a vital platform to showcase the diversity of contemporary ceramic practice. The annual Portage Ceramic Awards exhibition will open at Titirangi’s Te Uru on 26 November 2022, with all shortlisted works on display to the public for the first time.
 
Penn’s ceramic sculpture, Artefacts, is described as a collection of artefacts from an ancient, future civilisation, buried in the ground to travel back in time for us to find and puzzle over. Drawn from machine parts, ritual objects and diatoms, they are familiar objects whose purpose and meaning slides off the tip of your tongue. 
 
This year’s Portage Ceramic Awards judge, Karl Chitham (Ngā Puhi, Te Uriroroi), Director of The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt and co-author of Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and Wider Moana Oceania, said this in his comments on the Penn’s pieces: “Rusted machine parts, ancient relics or ornamental devices? Whatever the intention, this assortment is so intriguing that you almost don’t notice its materiality. The play on a viewer’s superficial understanding of chemical reaction, exchanging the corrosive effect of water on metal for the consequence of heat on oxides, helps to simultaneously confuse us while encouraging us to make assumptions – how can this not be rust? However, this work is more than just a trick of the eye or an insider joke, it inspires curiosity and makes us question the purpose and value of the things around us.”  
 
Penn is a South African-born artist who has recently moved to New Zealand. He taught sculpture and ceramics at Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland as well as for Otago Polytechnic’s ceramics diploma. With numerous painting, drawing and ceramics solo and group exhibitions in South Africa, Penn has also recently exhibited in Auckland. He has held residencies at Auckland Studio Potters and at Driving Creek Pottery in the Coromandel.

Perrett’s second place winning work, built from earthenware with slips, oxides, and stains, describes a figure who is overwhelmed, with repetitive thoughts, and dry eyes. No space in my head forms the suggestion of a person who cannot switch off their brain.

“The human form is a difficult subject to perfect, particularly if you want to convey emotion and connect with the viewer. The success of this work is its ability to describe a gentle contemplative moment in an understated almost nonchalant way.

The muted underglaze and painterly, almost unfinished brushstrokes and runs help to accentuate this impression of a laissez-faire approach. However this work is very intentional, holding its place quietly, but with a deft assuredness that could only be achieved by a skilled hand.”  
- Karl Chitham, 2022 Judge

Perrett has worked with clay for over twenty years. She completed her Diploma of Ceramic Arts from Otago in 2009 and exhibits regularly. Perrett is based in Auckland and teaches hand-building and ceramic sculpture.

For the 2022 Awards, three Merit prizes have also been awarded to Evelyn Hodowany for 12 pack #1 “I can’t spare a square”, Elena Renker’s Three tea bowls, and Dorothy Waetford for AO and HR.  All photos by Studio La Gonda, courtesy Te Uru.

#1 “I can’t spare a square” made out of porcelain and stoneware depicts 12 x 1 ply MEGA Rolls… or what’s left of them.

They’re the posh, fancy kind embossed with symbols of a pandemic – a changed world. A reminder of that time we all lost our minds with the panic buying and hoarding.

“The title and subject of this work appear on the surface to be a one-liner that we’ve heard before. But the incredible preciseness, down to the smallest detail, requires us to marvel at the skill rather than the pun, making me question whether, ultimately, the joke is on us.”  - Karl Chitham, 2022 Judge

Renker's Three tea bowls are made from stoneware. Renker believes the tea bowl to be one of the most fascinating things to make. It is an object of appreciation and contemplation, allowing for a unique combination of functional and sculptural elements. While a tea bowl should be well made, pleasant to hold and use, her aim in making a tea bowl is not perfection. The imperfections make the bowl come alive, makes it easier to relate to and makes it more human. 

Renker’s tea bowls are either loosely wheel thrown or hand carved and then decorated with an iron slip in quick, gestural movement. They are partially glazed in a Shino style glaze and fired in her wood kiln for approximately 15 hours.

“These oversized tea bowls are beautifully articulated in their textured angularity. The choice of glaze, with its reddish burnt tones and cracked and blistered effect is a literal reminder of the firing process that all vessels have to conform to in order for them to fulfil their function.” - Karl Chitham, 2022 Judge

Waetford’s AO and HR, made from Kiripaka clay, Matapouri slip, and Muriwai mid-crawl glaze, takes form from "Ao", the Māori word for "world". When standing with AO, there are many other kupu Māori that pop up when you move around the two together. HA - breath; RA - sun; ARO - face forward; ORA - life; and many others including AROHA!

Waetford’s work continues to explore forms and surfaces that reflect the spaces and environments where creativity thrives and aspirations inspire.

“The intriguing aspect of these works is the letter forms hidden in the shapes. AO is a small but incredibly important word in te reo Māori meaning daytime and the world, and HR is an abbreviation that defines our working life. When placed together they become a powerful comment on how Māori are sometimes required to navigate contemporary society.”   - Karl Chitham, 2022 Judge

A total of 33 works out of 200 entries made it through the final selection at Te Uru, where judge, Karl Chitham  (Ngā Puhi, Te Uriroroi) Director of The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt and co-author of Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and Wider Moana Oceania, made his decision.

PORTAGE CERAMIC AWARDS 2022 WINNERS:

• Premier Award 2022:
  Richard Penn, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
  Artefacts, ceramic
   
• Second Prize 2022:
  Helen Perrett, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
  No space in my head, earthenware 
   
• Merit Award 2022:
  Evelyn Hodowany, Wellington 
  12 pack #1 “I can’t spare a square”, porcelain and stoneware
   
• Merit Award 2022:
  Elena Renker, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
  Three tea bowls, stoneware
   
• Merit Award 2022:
  Dorothy Waetford, Matapouri
  AO and HR, Kiripaka clay, Matapouri slip, Muriwai mid-crawl glaze

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