At Wētā Workshop, the work is often larger than life: creatures, worlds, and objects built to tell stories on screen.
But for Rob Gillies, General Manager of Manufacture and a sculptor in his own right, the essence of the work is surprisingly similar to what you’ll find at this year’s New Zealand Art Show.
“It all comes back to making,” he says. “Understanding materials, form, and how something exists physically in the world.”
This year, Gillies steps into a different kind of creative space as judge of the Sculpture Showcase at the New Zealand Art Show – a growing feature that reflects a broader shift in how audiences engage with art.
Rather than being confined to a single area, sculpture at the Show will be woven throughout the exhibition, inviting moments of discovery among the thousands of works on display.
Twenty-five sculptors will present two works each, creating a quiet but powerful thread running through both TSB Arena and Shed 6.
For Gillies, that sense of encounter is what makes sculpture so compelling.
“It’s one of the most immediate forms of art,” he says. “It shares space with you. You move around it, see it from different angles; it’s a physical experience.”
That thinking has helped shape how the Sculpture Showcase will be judged this year.
In a deliberate move away from traditional, highly academic critique, the focus will be as much on connection as it is on technical merit; an approach that aligns closely with the wider ethos of the Show.
Executive Director Carla Russell says the intention is simple: to make art feel accessible without losing depth.
“Not everyone has the language of art; but everyone has a response to it,” she says. “We’re interested in the works that stop people, that create a moment.”
Gillies agrees.
“The best pieces don’t always shout,” he says. “They might sit quietly, but they stay with you.”
It’s a perspective shaped not just by his leadership role at Wētā Workshop, but by years of hands-on making; where precision, imagination, and storytelling all meet.
And while the worlds of film and fine art may seem distinct, there’s a shared foundation.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about creating something that feels real,” he says.
The Sculpture Showcase will award a Premier Sculpture Prize of $4,000, alongside two Highly Commended awards, but the broader ambition is less about competition and more about experience.
As Russell puts it: “Sculpture invites you to slow down. To look again. To feel something.”
And this year, with a maker from one of New Zealand’s most recognised creative institutions walking the floor, those moments of connection are set to take on a new dimension.
NZ Art Show | TSB Arena & Shed 6 | Wellington | 29 – 31 May 2026 (King’s Birthday Weekend)
Milarky, Maak Bow, Clint C
