The line-up of finalists for the 2008 Walters Prize caused a bit of a stir when it was announced in April. For the first time it contained two previous nominees—John Reynolds and Peter Robinson. It was not a violent stir however—more a rolling of the eyes and shaking of heads from those who surmised that the Walters Prize, like so many other New Zealand art institutions, had become yet another bastion of contemporary art conservatism, rewarding the stalwarts while overlooking emerging talent. Established in 2002, The Walters Prize is touted as New Zealand’s equivalent of the United Kingdom’s Turner Prize. Four solo exhibitions by New Zealand artists, shown over the preceding two years, are selected by a panel of four jurors (this time Andrew Clifford, Elizabeth Caldwell, Jon Bywater and Rhana Devenport). These exhibitions are then re-installed at Auckland Art Gallery for an international judge. The 2008 judge, French curator Catherine David came in late October to view and select a winner.
One wonders, however, that if Robinson’s Ack had not been nominated the stirrings might have been more vigorous. Shown at Auckland’s Artspace concurrently with Robinson’s re-showing of The Humours in the 2006 Walters Prize exhibition, Ack was a rare instance of an exhibition that really caused people to stop in their tracks. Huge forms hewn from polystyrene arched through the spaces, tumbled over each other and even punched through a gallery wall, forming a Dr. Seuss-like landscape. With an ambition in scale, use of material and space rarely seen in New Zealand, Ack set a much-needed example for local artists. It also signalled a revitalisation of Robinson’s practice, which saw him invited to install a major installation using