When Otago Polytechnic’s distance Ceramics teacher, Tatyanna Meharry, and her sister Natasha English, won this year’s Supreme World of Wearable Art (WOW) Award, they became the only artists to win the coveted top award twice.

Tatyanna and Natasha’s winning entry, WAR sTOrY, is a powerful reflection on the human costs of World War One, in which 128,000 New Zealanders served and 18,000 lost their lives. This year is the centenary of the war’s end.

“WOW is about storytelling, and we wanted to share an important story about New Zealand’s past,” Tatyanna says. “Our costume features a toy soldier in a toy box, accompanied by a younger person carrying the weight of that history.”

WOW founder and head judge Dame Suzie Moncrieff said WAR sTOrY was "flawless in execution".

Tatyanna and Natasha previously won the Supreme Award in 2013 with their entry The Exchange, which represented the partnership created by the Treaty of Waitangi.

“It’s an amazing feeling to win again,” Tayanna says. “WAR sTOrY was five years in the making, so it’s really satisfying as well.”

Tatyanna is also a graduate of Dunedin School of Art, holding a Master of Fine Arts.

And another Dunedin School of Art graduate, Stephanie Cossens, took out runner up in the WETA Workshop Emerging Designer Award for her entry, Kākāpō Queen. Her costume, featuring an oversized kākāpō-head mask, was created to highlight the plight of these critically endangered birds.

 A record 17 countries were represented in this year’s 30th anniversary WOW Show held at Wellington’s TSB Arena. 


Published on 15 Oct 2018

Orderdate: 15 Oct 2018
Expiry: 14 Nov 2018