Shane Cotton

Shane Cotton (born 1964) is a major New Zealand painter. Born in Upper Hutt with Ngapuhi iwi affiliations, he studied at the Ilam School of Fine Arts in Christchurch, graduating in 1988. He then lectured at Massey University in Palmerston North.

Following this he was the recipient of the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship, and his work is highly sought after that. He has received the Seppelt Art Award from Sydney University, and has been exhibited at many leading galleries in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in Spain and Prague.

Cotton's work evocatively includes both Maori iconography and culture, such as shrunken heads, mokomokai, and native birds such as tui, and European symbols and items. His paintings have explored questions of colonialism, cultural identity, Maori spirituality, and death.

Many of his paintings go into depth of primitive ideas especially through Maori whakapapa.

CV

SHANE COTTON

Born 1964 Upper Hutt, New ZealandLives in Palmerston North, New Zealand

Selected Solo Exhibitions

*2007 Red-Shift, Sherman Galleries, Sydney
*2007 Helgoland, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*2006 Shane Cotton, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*2006 Shane Cotton, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*2005 Pararaiha, Sherman Galleries, Sydney
*2004 Shane Cotton Survey 1993-2003, curator Lara Strongman, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*2003 Shane Cotton Survey 1993-2003, curator Lara Strongman, City Gallery Wellington
*2003 Shane Cotton: Recent Painting, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*2003 Shane Cotton: Paintings, curator Ewen McDonald, SOFA Gallery, School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
*2003 Shane Cotton: New Paintings, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*2002 Powder Garden, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*2002 Birds Eyes Views, Mori Gallery, Sydney
*2001 Blackout Movement, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*2001 New Paintings, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*2000 Te Timatanga: From Eden to Ohaeawai, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin; Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1999 New Painting, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1999 Shane Cotton, Hocken Library Gallery, University of Otago, Dunedin
*1999 New Paintings, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1999 New Paintings, Mori Gallery, Sydney
*1999 New Paintings, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*1998 Local, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1998 Shane Cotton, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*1997 New Painting, Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1997 Square Style, Mori Gallery, Sydney
*1996 New Painting, Anna Bibby Gallery, Auckland
*1996 New Painting, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1995 Shane Cotton: Recent Paintings, curator Penny Swann, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*1995 Te Ta Pahara, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1995 Shane Cotton: Recent Paintings, Darren Knight Gallery, Melbourne
*1995 Ta Te Whenua, Manawatu Art Gallery Palmerston North; Fisher Gallery, Auckland
*1994 New Works, Claybrook Gallery, Auckland
*1994 New Painting, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1993 Collections: New Work by Shane Cotton, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1992 Strata, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1990 Nature Forms Myth, Last Decade Gallery, Wellington

Selected Group Exhibitions

*2007 Turbulence 3rd Auckland Triennial 2007, curated by Victoria Lynn, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*2007 Four Times Painting 2007, curated by Christina Barton, Adam Art Gallery Te Pataka Toi, Victoria University of Wellington
*2006 Nuclear Reactions, curated by Paco Barragan, Caja de Burgos Art Centre, Burgos, Spain
*2004 Paradise Now? Contemporary Art from the Pacific, Asia Society Museum, New York
*2003 Empathy: Beyond the Horizon, curators Marketta Seppala and Imants Tillers (Pori Art Museum and Frame, The Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, Finland), Artspace, Sydney
*2003 Emerging Artists of the Nineties, 10 Works from the Fletcher Trust Collection, Tauanga Art Gallery
*2002 Koru and Kowhaiwhai: The Contemporary Renaissance of Kowhaiwhai Painting, curator Helen Kedgley, Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture, Porirua, NZ
*2002 Taiawhio: Continuity and Change, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington
*2001 Home & Away: Chartwell Collection, City Gallery Wellington
*2001 Taranaki Te Maunga, Gowett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*2001 Still Life, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University, Wellington
*2001 Colin McCahon’s time for messages, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
*2001 Leaping Boundries, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney
*2001 Empathy: Beyond the Horizon, curators Marketta Seppala and Imants Tillers, Pori Art Museum and Frame, The Finnish Fund for Art Exchange, Finland
*2001 Techno Maori: Maori in the Digital Age, curators Deidre Brown and Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, City Gallery Wellington and Pataka Museum of Arts and Culture, Porirua
*2001 Purangiaho: Seeing Clearly, curators Ngarino Ellis and Ngahiraka Mason, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*2001 Good Work: The Jim Barr and Mary Barr Collection, curator Justin Paton, Dunedin Public Art Gallery; City Gallery Wellington
*2001 Te Maunga Taranaki: Views of a Mountain, curators Gregory Burke, William McAloon, Hanna Scott and Darcy Nicholas, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*2001 Alive!:Still Life into the 21st Century, curator Zara Stanhope, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington
*2000 Eloquent Polarities: The Chartwell Collection - Recent Acquisitions, Auckland City Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*2000 Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance, curators Te Miringa Hohaia, Gregory O’Brien, Paula Savage and Lara Strongman, City Gallery Wellington
*2000 Te Ao Tawhito/Te Ao Hou – Old Worlds/New Worlds: Contemporary Art from Aotearoa New Zealand, Art Museum of Missoula, Montana, US; Maui Arts and Cultural Centre, Hawaii
*2000 Canterbury Painting in the 1990s, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch
*2000 Darkness and Light: Looking at the Landscape, touring Victorian regional galleries to McClelland Art Gallery and Sculpture Park; Benalla Art Gallery; Ballarat Fine Art Gallery; Geelong Art Gallery; and to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*2000 Text and Image, Lopdell House Gallery, Auckland
*1999 Group Show, Mori Gallery, Sydney
*1999 Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, US
*1999 Shane Cotton Colin McCahon Tony Fomison Max Gimblett, Gow Langsford Gallery at Ace Gallery, New York, US
*1999 Wonderlands: Views on life at the end of the century, at the end of the world, curators Gregory Burke and Hanna Scott, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*1999 The Raising of the Noxious, curator Gregory Burke, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*1999 Word: Artists explore the power of the single word, curator Linda Michael with Peter Tyndall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
*1999 Manufacturing Meaning: The Victoria University Art collection in Context, curator Stuart McKenzie, Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington
*1999 Home and Away: Contemporary Australian and New Zealand Art from the Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth; Waikato Museum of Art and History, Hamilton; City Gallery Wellington; Dunedin Public Art Gallery
*1998 Wake Naima, Centre Culturel Tjibaou, New Caledonia
*1998 Takeaway symbols, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*1998 Skywriters and Earthmovers, Robert McDougall Art Annex, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch
*1998 Seppelt Contemporary Art Awards 1998, curator Linda Michael, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
*1998 FISI, Mori Gallery, Sydney
*1998 Fundraising Exhibition, High Street Project, Christchurch
*1998 Black & White, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*1998 Leap of Faith: Contemporary New Zealand Art, curator Gregory Burke, Govett Brewster Art Gallery New Plymouth
*1998 Dream Collectors: One Hundred Years of New Zealand Art, curators Ian Wedde, John Walsh and Alexa Johnston, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington and Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki
*1997 Now Showing: Artists go to the Movies, curators Robin Neate and Stuart McKenzie, The Film Centre, Wellington
*1996 Patua, City Gallery, Wellington
*1996 Seven New Zealand Artists, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Melbourne
*1996 Into the Light, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North
*1995 Stop Making Sense, curator George Hubbard, City Gallery, Wellington
*1995 Korurangi: New Maori Art, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland
*1995 A Very Peculiar Practice: Aspects of Recent New Zealand Painting, curator Allan Smith, City Gallery Wellington
*1995 The Nervous System: Twelve Artists Explore Images and Identities in Crisis, curator Allan Smith, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery New Plymouth; City Gallery Wellington
*1995 Korurangi: New Maori Art, curators George Hubbard and William McAloon, Auckland City Art Gallery
*1994 Five New Zealand Artists, Darren Knight Gallery, Melbourne
*1994 Te Puaroa, Shed 1, Wellington
*1994 Parallel Lines: Gordon Walters in Context, curator William McAloon, Auckland City Art Gallery
*1994 Taking Stock of the 90s, Sarjeant Gallery, Wanganui
*1994 Taiawhio: The Coming Together, Page 90, Porirua
*1994 Localities of Desire: Contemporary Art in an International World, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
*1993 Opening Exhibition, Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington
*1993 Te Hau A Tonga, Te Taumata Gallery, Auckland
*1993 Groundswell, Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North
*1993 Christmas Show, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1993 Christmas Show, Claybrook Gallery, Auckland
*1992 Tracts, Claybrook Gallery, Auckland
*1992 Te Kupenga, CSA Gallery, Christchurch
*1992 Latent Realities, McDougall Art Annex, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch
*1992 Canvassing South, Gow Langsford Gallery, Wellington
*1992 Motif/Motive, CSA Gallery, Christchurch
*1992 Shadow of Style: Eight New Artists, curated by Gregory Burke and Robert Leonard, City Gallery Wellington, Wellington; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*1992 Prospect Canterbury ’92, curators Neil Roberts and Lara Strongman, Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch
*1992 He Toi Tutanga Na Ngaa Toa o Te Whare Waananga o Waitaha: An exhibition of work by past and present students of Maori descent from the School of Fine Arts, curator Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, University of Canterbury, School of Fine Arts Gallery, Christchurch
*1991 Kohia Ko Taiakaka Anake, National Art Gallery, Wellington
*1991 Preparations: 25 Canterbury Artists, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1991 Recognitions, curator Lara Strongman, McDougall Art Annex, Christchurch
*1991 He Toi Tutanga Na Ngaa Toa O Te Ware Waanaga O Waitaha: An exhibition of work by past and present students of Maori descent from the School of Fine Arts, School of Fine Arts Gallery, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
*1991 Shane Cotton, Barnard McIntyre, Peter Robinson, Gow Langsford Gallery, Wellington
*1990 New Works (with Peter Robinson), Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1990 Christmas Show, Brooke-Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*1989 Wilkins & Davies Young Artist of the Year Award, CSA Gallery, Christchurch; Auckland Society of Arts Gallery, Auckland
*1987 Young Contemporaries, CSA Gallery, Christchurch

Grants/Awards

*1999 Te Tohu Mahi Hou a Te Waka Toi/Te Waka Toi Award for New Work
*1991 Te Waka Toi Projects Grant
*1989 Wilkins and Davies Young Artist of the Year
*1986 Bickerton-Widdowson Memorial Scholarship
*1986 Ethel Rose Overton Scholarship
*1986 Sawtell-Turner Prize in Painting
*1986 Irwin Allen Hunt Scholarship
*1986 Frances Hodgkins Fellowship University of Otago, Dunedin
*1986 Seppelt Contemporary Art Award for visual arts, Museum of contemporary Art, Sydney.

Professional Experience

*1993-07Current Lecturer, Te Putahi-a-Toi, Maori Visual Arts, Massey University
*1991 Diploma in Teaching, Christchurch College of Education
*1988 Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury

Collections

*Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
*National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
*Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland
*Chartwell Collection, Auckland
*College House, University of Canterbury, Christchurch
*Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin
*Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth
*Manawatu Art Gallery, Palmerston North
*Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington
*Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch
*Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington
*Wellington City Council, Wellington

Represented by:
*Kaliman Gallery, Sydney
*Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland
*Brooke Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
*Hamish McKay Gallery, Wellington

External links

* [http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3302/artsbooks/553/shane_of_ngapuhi.html 'Shane of Ngapuhi']
* [http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/search.aspx?advanced=colProProductionMakers%3a%22Cotton%2c+Shane%22+colCollectionGroup%3aCH Artworks at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]
* [http://collection.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/results.jsp?view=lightbox&pos=1 Artworks at the Auckland Art Gallery ]
* [http://www.city-gallery.org.nz/mainsite/ShaneCotton1.html Cotton at the City Gallery Wellington]
* [http://www.vuw.ac.nz/vup/2004titleinformation/shanecotton.html "Shane Cotton" Victoria University of Wellington Press, 2004]