The four finalists for the biennial Walters Prize have been announced and one has a distinct privacy connection. The artists have had their works installed inside - and outside - the Auckland Art Gallery. But for readers primarily interested in privacy, there is really one must see work – the massive installation by Simon Denny entitled All you need is data - the DLD 2012 Conference REDUX.

Denny’s 90 canvases and railing create labyrinthine pathways through the gallery space as one is transported to a Munich technology conference. The Walters Prize jury described it as “a clever visualisation and subtle critique of the hyped-up promises offered by the tech gurus of our digital future”.

The $50,000 Walters Prize is awarded for an outstanding work of contemporary New Zealand art produced and exhibited during the past two years. Named in honour of the late New Zealand artist Gordon Walters, the prize was established in 2002 and aims to make contemporary art a more widely recognised and debated feature of cultural life.

Since Denny was a finalist in the last Walters Prize in 2012, he has undertaken a series of exhibitions that, according to the Walters Prize jury, prove his original contribution to what has come to be known as 'post-internet aesthetics'.

All You Need Is Data - The DLD 2012 Conference REDUX was exhibited in Munich and New York in 2013. “Re-using the aesthetics of the Digital Life Design (DLD) media conference, Denny creates a walk-through sculptural installation that proves just how 'thin' a sound byte actually is,” the jury said.

See it for yourself. Simon Denny’s work, and those of the other three finalists, will be on display at the Auckland Art Gallery until 12 October. Entry is free.