Rawinia Manukau (Johnson)

I am both delighted and humbled to have this artwork selected to show, along with 49 other artists at the NZ Portrait Gallery this year.

Rawinia is my tūpuna (ancestor) great great great Grandmother. She is a prominent part of my every day and the reason I returned to New Zealand.

I took a very old copy of her photo and photocopied it on to watercolour board. Adding pencil to the photo helped to bring her to life. The organic and free flowing pencil that surrounds her, creates the depiction of connections Rawinia has with her whānau (family), both past and present. Rawinia is essentially the glue that binds us all together.

A very big thank you to the inaugural judges at the New Zealand Portrait gallery, Derek Lardelli, Lisa Reihana and Kura Te Waru Rewiri. What an honour to be a part of the Gallery during this time.

To check out the other artists and their work, click here:

Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award — New Zealand Portrait Gallery (nzportraitgallery.org.nz) 

The exhibition will run at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakata
Shed 11 on Wellington’s waterfront
28 May to 15 August 2021.

30 out of the 50 finalist artworks will then tour nationally.