Hawke’s Bay Today: Ben Pearce Selected as Feature Artist for Charity Auction

Ben Pearce has been announced as the feature artist at this year’s Hawke’s Bay Wine auction. Pearce lives and works in Hawke’s Bay but regularly exhibits across New Zealand and internationally.

He had no hesitation in accepting the offer to work with the auction team, he said. “It’s an honour to produce work that supports Cranford Hospice in Hawke’s Bay.”

The sculpture he is working on for the auction is a melding of landscape and human body, in the form of a corten stack of rock-like forms.”I wanted to express the beauty and fragility of life. I’m in awe of the amazing work carried out at the Hospice.”

Later this year he will be mounting a major solo show at the Hastings City Art Gallery and has two projects coming up in Berlin. His current exhibition, Everything Remote Intermingles, is on view at Parlour Projects in Hastings.

Organisers of New Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious wine auction are in full flight working on this year’s event, which celebrates and recognises 26 years of producing exceptional and sought after wine auction lots. Forty of Hawke’s Bays renowned winegrowers have committed their talents to producing mostly unique blends for the auction.

Event manager Annabel Tapley-Smith said “the valuable and committed line up of regional and national sponsors involved in our Sponsors Partners Programme, coupled with our winegrowers, artists and other Hawke’s Bay businesses that support the event will make for a very exciting year of planning and working together to promote Hawke’s Bay wine and hopefully raise another record amount for Cranford Hospice.”

Close to $2,700,000 has been gifted to Cranford Hospice, Hawke’s Bay with 2016 seeing another record breaking $180,000 raised in the 25th event which was opened by then Prime Minister John Key.

Details of all auction lots will be available online (www.hawkesbaywineauction.co.nz) from April.

Tickets will also be available online from July 1st via the website to this event being held on Saturday, November 11 in the plaza of the historic Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings.