2023 Outstanding Scholarship
The premise of this Outstanding Scholarship Painting submission was to depict faʻasamoa, faʻasinomaga (Samoan way of life, Samoan identity) and share the “beauty and complexity” of everyday practices and traditions through the candidate’s diaspora lens. As a personal project about identity (they identify as a queer, New Zealand-born Samoan), the candidate is deeply invested and engaged in the proposition, which they negotiate through solid, in-depth research and integration of their thinking into technically expert paintings. From the outset, the folio works interweave complex pictorial strategies that provide navigation for the storytelling and signifiers utilised.
The artwork is beautifully rendered and powerful in its visualisation. Intentionality is a vital factor in the conception of the paintings and analysis of motif and compositional structure. The candidate utilises symbolism to situate their culture as the subject matter and vehicle; architectural references such as the shape of the fale tele enacting the sky (heavenly / biblical association) or the use of tatau to communicate the story of their grandparents’ immigration to Aotearoa from Samoa. All visual aspects are considered equally: line, tone, pattern, figurative, perspective, paint stroke, and colour palette.
Artistic reference is excellent; the range of practices from senior artists to younger generation practitioners serves to provide a community of voices and an apt neighbourhood of contextual references. The candidate investigates Christian art, historical representations of sacred subject matter, traditional processes of tatau, lalaga, siapo, fale, siva, and images of ancestors and family to create imagery that speaks to Samoan culture. For the candidate, this approach to traditional art forms and histories addresses the influence of colonial forces in Samoa and their own “feelings of inadequacy and disconnection, being culturally assimilated, being disconnected from the church, and being queer”.
The workbook documents a thoughtful, well-researched, and critically focused journey. At every step, they are self-reflexive about previous steps taken and consider how learnings can be utilised to make the following passage of work. They combine the personal with collective and inherited knowledge; the workbook intelligently frames the candidate’s line of questioning. Throughout the enquiry, they discuss the selection, relevance, cultural significance, and meaning of symbols in both their own artwork and historical contexts. The methodology is thorough and holds close to the candidate’s intent to make work exploring their familial history through symbology and pattern.
The folio layout is structured incredibly well. There is a symmetry and rhythm to the linear and patterned compositions reinforced by the movements between the individual artworks of the stained-glass works and the images of Samoan people / family (ancestors and themselves) performing and making. This is an important aspect in the communication of faʻasamoa and faʻasinomaga and the cultural value placed on performance and crafting, intergenerational knowledge and making by hand. The folio paintings skilfully communicate a celebratory honouring of Samoan culture and the candidate’s story.
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2023 Scholarship
This Painting Scholarship submission presented a sophisticated self-portrait and personally relevant enquiry about gender fluidity. A high level of engagement and ownership is present in the folio and workbook. Holistically, these two sites of evidence combine to engage in an intensive exploration of self and identity.
The candidate employs compositions and figurative elements from other artists’ works, such as Frida Kahlo, rendering their own image in Kahlo's androgynous persona in Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, 1940. This symbolic gesture affirms their own story and representation of “transgenderism”. In the portrait, raw handwritten words of perception hover above them as they hold a pair of scissors (also commenting in the workbook that “Mum kept my hair”), whereas Kahlo’s hair lies strewn on the ground. This work is an influential piece; it is a signifier of the beginning of their “transition and freedom from binary perception”, characterising this moment as an emotive expression of their resentment of such perceptions.
Artistic references are carefully selected and well-utilised and make sense of their chosen strategies and devices used to create the controlled and complex folio works. They also look to Rita Angus’s paintings as an example of masculine-styled portraiture; Guido Reni’s Saint Sebastian, created in 1620–1639, to convey ideas of transgender persecution; and Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat, 1793, to speak of their personal loss and betrayal. The adaptation of these artists’ work as a kind of metaphoric symbology is powerful and communicates the determination and strength of the candidate’s willingness to share their stories.
Every media process, motif, and stylistic characteristic is a representative part of the candidate’s identity and lived reality, such as the collagic, fractured compositions to confuse the portrait structure, the inclusion of top surgery scars on a traditional figurative pose and the birth certificate held in their hand in the bath. Colour is a crucial symbolic and representational element utilised to embody their frustration and pain, thus introducing olive green into the palette to give the works a murky and ill-at-ease edge.
The candidate understands the fluidity of paint media to represent gender fluidity (a symbol of their fluid state). They employ methods such as marbling that rely on unpredictability and chance patterning to create abstract compositions, blocked areas, and motifs in paintings. The direct nature of the painting compositions, poses, perspective, and the rawness of media is well-handled; we are left with no doubt about the candidate’s feelings and state (body dysphoria, dissociation). The blank stare that persists throughout the works assumes an immediate challenge to the viewer; they are asking for respect and want their art to provide comfort for their community, stating in the workbook, “I want it to impact your thoughts on queer identity and the boxes constraining it within your mind.” This painting submission is an original and self-determined Scholarship exploration of trans identity and experience that is technically refined and mature in its synthesis and perspective.
2022 Outstanding Scholarship
This Outstanding Scholarship submission is a conceptual investigation into the theme "Distorted Rabbit," exploring the importance of identity with a sub-theme of Dadaism. The project is grounded in practice within an abstract paradigm, evidenced in statements such as "... enjoy the distorted rabbit struggling and worrying about the meaning of its existence." The 'with abandon' approach to making is evident throughout.
Individuality, as a concept and framework for the practice, holds significant importance to the candidate (coming from Japan), where they experienced an education that they felt ignored individuality. In their proposal, they express their interest in exploring their true self and view the folio/enquiry as an opportunity to delve deeper into their "aesthetic sense, thoughts, and feelings in the unconscious." Distortion serves as the key conceptual and processual tool used to analyse the candidate's thought processes and logic.
The strength of the submission lies in the thorough investigation into materiality and process, along with the experimental use of surfaces and a range of media. The materials employed include rice paper, tracing paper, gauze, building papers, thread, ripped canvas, wire, tissue paper, and cardboard. Various painting approaches, such as impasto, transparency, layering, and spray paint, complement the choice of materials and media. The candidate also prepares different grounds on a variety of surfaces using transparent color, thick layers, etc., before introducing structural elements.
Risk-taking and finding solutions through discovery form the primary mode employed to develop the body of practice. Each work and study is carefully considered in terms of the placement of forms within coherent structures. The technical aspects, such as the woven areas and layering of materials and media on the final works, are beautifully crafted. Intuitive, robust media manipulation, and conceptual clarity are utilised to construct the image. Notably, the works transcend mere study to become artworks. The strength of the portfolio lies in the application and construction of layering as a method; multiple layering devices are used in different ways to explore collage and find solutions. Composition is the fundamental building block of the success of the body of work.
The workbook/visual diary is intelligent and insightful, exemplifying the depth of the investigation through description and discussion. The 'live' analysis of the processes involved and the explanations of 'why/what/how' decisions were made are particularly notable. It also includes documentation of works (not in the folio), locating them within the conceptualisation process (e.g., Foam series), and demonstrating the relevance of experimental phases that have impacted the broader project.
The contextual review includes references to artistic practice and anime, ranging from modernist painters to contemporary art. Each reference has a clear rationale and point of interest. Dada, as a critical movement and methodological approach, was particularly influential in the candidate's thinking. They fluidly moved between their observations of artists' practices and their own work, always returning to drawing and experimentation with the knowledge gained.
Looking at the work, there is a real sense that the candidate operates without limitations; they make with an adept hand and confidence (‘just to see’). They talk about their hands moving unconsciously, letting the media and process 'do the work'.
Download 2022 Outstanding Scholarship Painting workbook pages [PDF, 30 MB]
2022 Scholarship
This scholarship submission is based on personal experience and is dedicated to the candidate’s great, great grandfather, who fought in the 28th Māori Battalion in World War I. The proposal is focused, inquiring, thoughtful, and embraces the power of painting to honor their tipuna tāne. The candidate pursues an investigative journey of personal historical significance, working with whakapapa, whānau, and tūrangawaewae concepts. The proposition exudes authenticity through the personal perspective and use of media to communicate and honor the subject studied in each artwork.
In the workbook, the candidate begins with their pepeha and identifies the desire to explore their culture, identity, and whakapapa, recognising that it is because of their tīpuna the candidate is “interconnected to the sacrifices made by my ancestors for me to exist today.” The analysis of work as it develops is well-grounded, enabling the candidate to find their footing and recognise strengths and weaknesses to build on. They found a style appropriate to the conceptual, contextual subject matter and worked with it through thoughtful layering and integration of text.
The student presence is evident throughout the investigation in the personal source material linked to historical and cultural contexts and the analysis of composition, meaning, and intent. They examine Te Ao Māori, their tīpuna, and concepts of past/present/future through purposeful use of symbolism and selection of images (photographs). Painting conventions of portrait and compositional devices are used to explore the passage of time, to piece together fragments, stories, records of events, and histories discovered. For example, they use black and white and pointillism to reference historical photography, and color for recent photos and interpretations.
The painting practice is underpinned by strong drawing and media skills. Various pictorial strategies support these approaches: grid, layering, overlay, silhouette, text, impasto, glaze, painterly mark-making, and color symbolism. The work weaves personal/social/historical narratives about Māori warriors/soldiers and the Māori Battalion through well-planned technical and compositional arrangements – symbolically and metaphorically. There is warmth in the research and joy in making this work. Central to the works are people/family/place/time. As a framework, these elements move the body of work beyond the folio and embed a sense of power and dynamism.
This submission evidences a close engagement with and honoring of whānau. The care and attention paid to every artwork on the folio, and analysed in the workbook, is a testament to the whanaungatanga, the love and connectivity of the candidate to his tīpuna and whānau.
Download 2022 Scholarship Painting workbook pages [PDF, 33 MB]
2020 Outstanding Scholarship
This Outstanding Scholarship submission is about identity and emotional inheritance. The candidate states in the workbook that the enquiry “traces my preoccupation with identity and psychological struggles” ... “between inherited characteristics and my ideal authentic self”.
This project is located within the practice of studio painting, which established a robust platform for exploration. The workbook clearly framed the starting point through documentation of a ‘full’ studio, sources, free association word and texture maps, quotes from philosopher Marcus Aurelius, and resource material gathered from the book, “Self-Knowledge” (School of Life, Alain de Botton, 2017).
The candidate was highly experimental with a vast range of media that they used to create specific associations and refer to art historical, personal, and psychological contexts. The links made through media usage were conceptually active. For example, an ultrasound scan was described through a paint sweep across a selected background surface. Experimental gestures were introduced that explored painterly conventions to create sophisticated figure and ground relationships and compositions (combinations of gesso, acrylic, and oil discovered interesting cross-media results). Highly detailed brush techniques and strokes also emphasised representation of the human form. This was further reinforced by the juxtaposition of classical sculptures of the ideal male form (figure struggles), situating the paintings within a scientific, mathematical and technological world. In referencing Greek mythology and style, the candidate found appropriate techniques, such as line and graphic, spatial delineation, and scale, to keep the paintings fresh and alive, adding vitality to compositions.
All of the imagery used was generated by the candidate, even when it referred to an existent artwork. The candidate re-staged Greek wrestling, providing conceptual material and imagery for the paintings. They also set up approximations of potential compositions, using photographic staging and improvisation to develop complex scenarios that contained different scale representations, overlays, and pictorial devices. Other figurative elements that signaled birth, the parental relationship, and forms of identity were created within the visual vocabulary and incorporated into the works to inform the underlying narrative. These included barcodes, birth bands, fingerprints, ultrasounds, and text (painted to reference handwritten and typewriter aesthetics).
The workbook outlined the making-thinking process the candidate followed to produce the psychological aspects they wanted. A high level of analysis and ‘reading’ of their own mark-making and compositions helped refine solutions. This submission is a very calculated and precise body of paintings, fueled by an excellent understanding of the medium's potential to extract, explore, and abstract the topic of emotional inheritance.
Download 2020 Outstanding Scholarship Painting workbook pages [PDF, 14 MB]
2020 Scholarship
This Scholarship Painting submission presents a strong engagement with the central proposition of abstraction through a focused investigation into aligned concepts and painting conventions.
The folio is full of experimentation, which operated as the primary mode of making. The tone of this submission is playful, inquisitive, excited, and open-minded. An enthusiasm for media, materials, and processes is apparent in how the portfolio and workbook were handled, revealing the confidence and maturity of understanding that emerged as the enquiry deepened.
From the outset, the candidate revealed their interests through drawings and colour sketches on the portfolio, and declaring their desire to study further in architecture. This led the candidate to think about why they are attracted to architectural elements (form and structure).
While on one level a simple question, as a topic, it provided an expansive realm of possibilities for an investigation into abstraction: construction and deconstruction, space and composition, gesture and aesthetics. Maintaining an experimental edge throughout was achieved by an extensive range of media applications, including gauze, coloured gel, ink, pen, acrylic paint, different papers and card, and attention to geometric forms, angles, tone, texture, shadow, and light.
The large amount of work produced created a buoyant and reflexive body of practice. Multiple production sequences and experimentation helped develop fluent media handling, complex mixed-media compositions, knowledge about layering systems, colour, materiality, perspective, and movement.
The candidate was willing to make in ways that did not necessitate predetermined outcomes, by working with discoveries made in process (and thinking of them as subject matter, concept, or context). This approach provided a successful avenue of material thinking that matched the territory signalled in the workbook.
The workbook effectively documented the reflective approach, clearly identifying points of departure, remark, and insights. The candidate was self-aware, consistently asking themselves questions concerning art-making and their understanding of it, constantly shifting and changing. Therefore, they were always alert and present to emergent ideas and thinking.
The range of artistic reference that assembled around the work as it gathered momentum was a useful guide and reference point for this insight within their art work. A critical success in the portfolio/workbook combined was how the learning unfolded through the actual making, and was then applied to the next phase of painting through thoughtful analysis of technical approach, composition, and material thinking.
Download 2020 Scholarship Painting workbook pages [PDF, 13 MB]