Seventeen of New Zealand's top local and national sculptors are in Rotorua this week for the Sulphur Lake Sculpture Symposium. They have nine days to create pieces of art with the top piece winning $10,000.
Joe Kemp is a recognised sculpture artist he says the bare breasts being shown in his work may be controversial but this type of art has a place in the market.
“There's room in the world for that type of sculpture forever for thousands of years and it's great to see them on our Marae and in public works slowing turning up in NZ.”
There are only five days to go and time is running out for these top sculpture artists to finish their pieces.
“I still semi-don't know what I'm doing I know I am doing a big wahine form but there are a few ideas on who she is going to be, I'll work on her and she will tell me the name at the end”, says Mr Kemp.
Each artist has been given information regarding what their piece is based on. The theme for this year's event is "the energy within" and will be judged by Lionel Grant, Clive Fugill and Karen Hunt.
Marc Spijkerbosch, Public Arts Advisor for the Rotorua Lakes Council says that “Artists don't work for free despite what people believe, so we have put up a $10,000 award meaning out of these seventeen sculptures, one piece is going to be chosen for our public art collection.”
The symposium ends 3pm this Sunday followed by the prize-giving.