Levin artist Manaia Matakatea has won a major art award and plans to spend the $2000 prizemoney on a dream holiday.
As a toddler he attended the wedding of his aunty and uncle in Rarotonga and blessed with fond memories has wanted to go back there ever since.
Now hecan. His artwork, titled Grocery List, was selected as the favourite from 30 finalists in winning the L’affare People’s Choice Award at the 2023 IHC Art Awards.
Manaia Matakatea.
Grocery List received a whopping 5347 votes. It was then put up for auction and was snapped up by his godfather Karl Matakatea, who was able to secure the original with a winning bid of $120.
Manaia’s mum Kate said he liked to be organised and is always making lists, like grocery lists, and his latest list was of the people who were coming to his 20th birthday party next week.
“And to think I’ve thrown hundreds of them in the rubbish,” she joked.
Grocery List is one of those rare and magical moments where an everyday item can actually morph into a classic piece of art - almost Andy Warholic.
The items on Manaia’s list include regulars like milk and bread, but also feature healthy items like fruit, kūmara, potatoes, weetbix, and sugar-free brownies.
Kate said Manaia was very thankful to the people who voted for Grocery List. It was helped that it was shared widely on social media platforms by friends and whānau.
Manaia Matakatea's godfather Karl Matakatea (left) snapped up the original peice called Grocery List at auction.
She is still getting inquiries from people wanting to buy a copy of Grocery List.
Manaia, who has started volunteer work recently at Salvation Army on Mondays, had recently begun to dabble in the arts as a member of the Shed Project in Paraparaumu, a place that provides training and employment opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged people.
The Shed Project had a creative space where the arts could be explored. It was members of staff there who saw the magic in Manaia’s work and convinced him to enter the award.
Manaia Matakatea receives his art award.
Meanwhile, there were 500 artists who had work submitted for what was the 20th anniversary of the IHC Art Awards. The works were exhibited at a pop-up gallery in Wellington before being auctioned.
Manaia attended the awards ceremony with other artists. First place in the awards went to a work titled The Red Chair by Max Hinds-Brown.
