Judging goes down to the wire

With Fieldays close at hand the entries are ready to be judged for the no.8 wire competition. Tony Nicholls is looking for an honest piece of work to take home this year’s prize money.

Judge Tony Nicholls. Photo: Geoff Ridder
Judge: Tony Nicholls Photo: Geoff Ridder

With Fieldays fast approaching all entries for this year’s No. 8 Wire art competition are in.

And this year’s judge, Hamilton artist  Tony Nicholls, is getting ready to select the best.

Nicholls has won national prizes for his kinetic sound sculptures.

For Nicholls the winning piece will have a good concept as well as a good construction.

“I don’t like art that is all concept at the cost of the object, I like a marriage of the two,” Nicholls says.

This year  14 entries have been selected as finalists for display at the ArtsPost in Victoria Street.

Nicholls  selected the 14 by judging photographed pieces, a process he finds hard as he would have preferred to see the objects themselves.

“I’m looking at each work [in terms of] what they say in their artist statement and seeing if that statement actually matches the work. I’m looking for an honesty.”

The winner will be awarded $8000, the first runner up $1000, and the third placed artist $500.

There is also a President’s Award from National Fieldays Society president Warwick Roberts. The winner of this award will receive $100.

Each piece has to be made of at least 75 percent no. 8 wire.

The opening and awards event is on Thursday  June 4, at the ArtsPost Galleries & Shop, 120 Victoria Street, Hamilton. The exhibition opens the following day.