The Frances Hodgkins Fellowship was established by the University of Otago Council in 1962 to aid and encourage painters, sculptors and multi-media artists, while at the same time associating them with the life of the University and fostering an interest in the Arts within the University. It was named after Dunedin-born Frances Hodgkins, one of New Zealand's most distinguished painters.
The annual, 12-month Fellowship provides a studio/office space and not less than the minimum salary of a full-time university lecturer. It is open to artists who are normally resident in New Zealand and who, in the opinion of the Selection Committee, have executed work that demonstrates their talent, and would benefit from holding the Fellowship.
Applications for 2026 Otago Arts Fellowships are now open.
Apply for the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship
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See the list of all previous Frances Hodgkins Fellowship recipients
The 2025 Frances Hodgkins Fellow is Reece King
Reece King
Reece King is the recipient of the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship for 2025.
This opportunity will build on a decade of development as a painter living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau.
With an exciting and distinctive style, Reece’s bold works continually re-reveal themselves upon longer inspection. He describes his painting as “a method of appreciating and understanding more deeply the human experience and surrounding world rather than communicating a particular sentiment that may have existed before or without painting”.
Reece’s work connects to the deep histories of human mark making. In recent years, his interest in visual approaches in Samoan Siapo has grown and he has been filling the gaps in his knowledge of his Samoan ancestry. He looks forward to the space the Fellowship will provide to further research, absorb, and incorporate this into his practice.
On receiving this Fellowship, Reece says, "It is an honour, and I am very grateful for this opportunity. I look forward to being in Dunedin and making heaps of big paintings, who knows what will emerge…"
Reece grew up on the west coast at Te Henga and completed a Master's in Painting at Unitec Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka in 2021. Last year, he was the inaugural recipient of the Church Road Art Initiative. His work was included in Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Aotearoa Contemporary exhibition in July and this year he also had a solo show at Anna Miles Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau and Gallery 9, Sydney.
In 2020, he was the supreme winner of the New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Award, administered by the Waikato Society of Arts. In 2021, he was awarded the Eden Arts Karekare House Residency. His work is included in public and private collections worldwide, including those of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri .
Reece values collaboration and supports other painters to flourish. He’s a founding member of Sanc Gallery a painter-run space in Auckland that held 22 exhibitions from when it was founded in 2020 until it was repurposed as a studio in 2023. During his Fellowship, Reece intends to organise collaborative exhibitions with Ōtepoti artists and students.
With an enthusiasm for bringing artists and communities together, Reece says he’s looking forward to immersing himself in the “vibrant social, historical and geographic environment of the creative communities of Ōtepoti”.
Reece says, “The studio door will be open to anyone interested in seeing what I’m up to and having a chat.”