The supreme award at the Craigs Investment Partners Aspiring Art Prize 2024 in Wānaka has gone to the master of an ancient and rare artform: scrimshaw.

Awards were made at the opening night on Friday (January 10) for the annual exhibition (now in its 18th year), which raises funds for the Holy Family Catholic School art programme.

Aspiring Art Prize event manager Kelcey Radford told the Wānaka App that artist Gus Milne, who is self-taught in the art of scrimshaw (engravings done in bone or ivory), took out the supreme award (the Craig’s Investment Properties $20,000 prize) with his piece ‘Sperm Whale Hunt’.

Gus carves his works on recycled ivory piano keys, fossilised walrus tusk, mammoth ivory and whales’ teeth. Exhibition judges Sarah Brown and Chloe Cull said he uses tiny scenes to capture big stories and histories. 

“He is an incredibly well researched artist, with a deep interest in the global history of his craft that he uses to explore aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand's history within,” they said.

“He reflects on the long term impact on the environment of the materials he uses, and is careful to reuse materials and work sustainability.”

Runner-up Anne Baldock’s artwork ‘The Stakeholders’ won the Craig Myles Colliers Prize of $3,000.

Kelcey said the work captured the attention of the judges for many reasons, particularly the artist's ability to tell such a vast story within a small frame.

“A closer look reveals a rich narrative - from the humans caring for our local environments to the native animals and introduced pests that all play a role in ecological conversations,” Sarah and Chloe said. 

Best landscape artist (and the Peak Accommodation Prize $2,500) went to Sean Beldon for ‘Remarkables’; the best work under $1,000 (the Calder Group prize of $1,000) went to Lisa Banks for ‘Leaving Takaka’; the best small work under 400mm x 400mm (the Wānaka Siteworks $500 prize) went to Lee-Ann Toyokawa for ‘No progress for Oliver’; and the merit award (the Wānaka Self Storage prize of $500) went to Katie Robinson for ‘Tulip Season’.

Kelly Pearce's auction piece, ‘Farm View XV’, also sold at auction for $840 on Friday, Kelcey said.

The weekend’s exhibition at Holy Family School displayed a wide variety of media from around 150 artists from all over New Zealand. Tomorrow (Monday January 13) is the last day.

PHOTO: Supplied