A powerful tribute to whakapapa and whenua has won the Campbell Smith Memorial People's Choice Award for the National Contemporary Art Award 2025 at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery.
Attracting the most votes from visitors to the exhibition, ‘Rooted in whenua: our whakapapa, yesterday, today and tomorrow’ is an acrylic and resin work on canvas by artist Jimmy James Kouratoras (Ngaati Tiipa, Tainui).
He says the piece reclaims sacred Waikato sites and their Maaori names, suppressed by colonial maps. Red stains mark land loss: the black and green river unites Tainui. The proverb “Waikato Taniwha Rau…” echoes through the layered marks embodying whakapapa and the Taniwha. A Kiingitanga shrine signifies enduring sovereignty and remembrance.
“When I approached this painting, I just painted the painting that I wanted to paint and leaned into a real abstract expressionist mode,” says Kouratoras.
“For it to be received like this and chosen by the people, it has given me the affirmation to lean more into my true essence. As cliche as it might sound, it’s a reminder you have to trust yourself for the best story to come out. Your voice is your voice.”
“As an artist, if people gravitate towards something, then you’ve done your job as an artist to the truest you can. That’s an awesome feeling.”
The National Contemporary Art Award attracted an unprecedented number of entries, with more than 480 works submitted by artists based here and overseas. Leading New Zealand law firm Tompkins Wake is the principal sponsor and has supported the competition since 2014.
The Campbell Smith Memorial People’s Choice Award is sponsored by the family of Campbell Smith (1925–2015), an artist, poet, playwright and former Director of Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery. It includes a cash prize of $250.
At the opening of the exhibition in July, artist Zena Elliott was announced as the winner of the $20,000 National Contemporary Art Award for the installation titled 'The Silence Forced Upon Us Is Louder Than the Crown’s Declarations of Partnership and Fairness'.
The guest judge for 2025, acclaimed curator and writer Nigel Borell, adhered to a blind-judging process to choose the winning work from a pool of 53 finalists, all of which are on display until Sunday 16 November in a free exhibition at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery.
‘Rooted in whenua: our whakapapa, yesterday, today and tomorrow’ by Jimmy James Kouratoras (Ngaati Tiipa, Tainui) remains available for sale. Interested buyers are encouraged to contact Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery for details.