Shane Cotton is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant
contemporary painters; the large body of work that he has produced over
the last fifteen years has helped redefine the nature of contemporary
Maori artistic practice. From 13 July - 19 October 2003 City Gallery
Wellington, with Principal Sponsor Telecom New Zealand, will present
what promises to be one of the year's most eagerly anticipated and
talked about exhibitions - the first major survey exhibition of Shane
Cotton's work.
Shane Cotton, curated by Lara Strongman, Senior Curator at City Gallery,
will be presented in three of City Gallery's four exhibition spaces and
spans the period 1993 to 2003. The exhibition will include images that
have been considered by many critics to be among the most significant
paintings to be produced in New Zealand over the last decade. It will
also include several works not previously publicly exhibited, as well a
substantial body of new work.
Shane Cotton (Ngati Rangi, Ngati Hine, Te Uri Taniwha) is one of a small
group of prominent artists of dual Maori and Pakeha descent. Trained
within a European art school tradition, Cotton's work explores aspects
of his bi-cultural heritage - and by extension, examines the nature of
New Zealand cultural identity.
Cotton's work has been included in more than sixty exhibitions in New
Zealand and internationally, and he has held more than twenty solo
exhibitions of his work in both New Zealand and Australia. His works are
included in all major public collections in New Zealand, and in the
collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
The first comprehensive account of Shane Cotton's practice, the
exhibition at City Gallery Wellington will trace the artistic and
conceptual development of Cotton's work from 1993 to today, including
his most recent powerful dark paintings dealing with issues of land,
spirit and identity.
Coinciding with the opening of Shane Cotton will be the launch of the
first major publication examining the work of this prominent New Zealand
artist. 2003 marks 15 years of Shane Cotton's professional practice and
represents a timely moment for such a publication. Heavily illustrated
and containing essays by Lara Strongman, John Huria, Blair French and
Jim Barr and Mary Barr, Shane Cotton will enable those people who cannot
visit the exhibition access to Cotton's ideas and images.
IMAGE
Shane Cotton,
Idol, 2002
oil on canvas
1400 x 1400 mm
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