BRETT GRAHAM

Brett Graham is one of New Zealand’s most exciting and accomplished sculptors, highly regarded for his ability to abstract complex historical and cultural ideas into formally strong and beautiful sculptural forms. Graham places strong emphasis on materiality and surface with the formal simplicity of his sculptural pieces and predominant use of wood and stone.

Graham’s work engages in a dual dialogue of Maori and European histories whilst adhering to the modernist emphasis on form and material quality. Although his works may not directly invoke Maori sculptural tradition, they nonetheless speak of that tradition in their titles and concept. His work is accessible at an aesthetic, personal and historical level, enabling both the object and viewer to occupy a common ground.

In the last decade Graham has exhibited extensively, locally and internationally, as well as being regarded as a leading authority on contemporary Maori sculpture.

His work has been included in major national and international exhibitions including Purangiaho Seeing Clearly at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki, Parihaka: The Art of Passive Resistance, City Gallery, Wellington, Prospect 2001, City Gallery, Wellington and Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery 1996. His work is also featured in most major collections in the country, such as the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki and his portfolio includes many public commissions, including Kahukura for the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia, Kaiwhakatere for the old Broadcasting House site, situated behind Parliament in Wellington and initiated by the Wellington Sculpture Trust, Kowhatu Karohirohi for the Victoria University Collection, and more recently Escape for the North Shore Court House.

In 2003, at the Adam Gallery, Victoria University, he created an exhibition titled Kainga Tahi Kainga Rua to expose the devastation caused by phosphate mining on the Micronesian island of Banaba. It has been described “as one of the most powerful and affecting artistic statements on the nature of Pacific history and identity.”

Brunt, Peter William 1955- "Kainga Tahi Kainga Rua: New Work on Banaba (review)"
The Contemporary Pacific - Volume 16, Number 2, Fall 2004, pp. 429-434 University of Hawaii Press

KAHUKURA, 1995
WOOD, 1150 x 2000 x 2000 MM
CENTRE CULTUREL JEAN-MARIE TJIBAOU,
NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA

• Co-curating an exhibition, Aukaha: 40 Years of Maori Contemporary Art, which will be held at the Waikato Museum in 2006, honouring the 40 th anniversary of the first group show of Maori art held in Hamilton in 1966.
  
• Selection in the Biennale of Sydney 2006.
  
• Exhibiting a sculpture and video installation, Aniwaniwa, throughout New Zealand in collaboration with Rachael Rakena
  
• Various public commissions

Brett is currently represented by Two Rooms Gallery in Auckland, New Zealand

WEBSITE COMING SOON!

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
TWO ROOMS GALLERY | WEBSITE: WWW.TWOROOMS.ORG.NZ
JAMES PINKER | GALLERY MANAGER
EMAIL: JAMES@TWOROOMS.ORG.NZ
JENNY TOOD | DIRECTOR
EMAIL: JENNY@TWOROOMS.ORG.NZ

TANGAROA, 1998
WOOD, 3600 x 3600 x 800 MM
MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND TE PAPA TONGAREWA,
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

OR BRETT GRAHAM:
PHONE: +64 (0)21 890 003
FAX: +64 (0)9 845 2096
EMAIL: BRETT@BRETTGRAHAM.CO.NZ
WEBSITE: WWW.BRETTGRAHAM.CO.NZ
 

ANIWANIWA , 2006
FIBREGLASS, GLASS, VIDEO AND SOUND,
5 FORMS, 2500 x 2500 x 1500 MM EACH
COLLECTION OF THE ARTISTS (TOURING 2006)