Brett Graham
90.000 N 135.000 W, 2021
wood (ash) and lacquer
1110 x 1110 x 435mm
Brett Graham b. 1967, Aotearoa (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Tainui) Brett Graham is widely recognised as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent contemporary artists. He has been a prominent figure within the...
Brett Graham
b. 1967, Aotearoa (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Tainui)
Brett Graham is widely recognised as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent contemporary artists. He has been a prominent figure within the contemporary Māori art movement since the early 1990s, exhibiting widely and attracting significant accolades. He is known for his large-scale sculptures and installation works that explore indigenous histories, politics, and philosophies. Viewing his own Māori whakapapa in relation to indigenous and non-Western identities around the world, Graham’s work often explores issues of imperialism.
Graham’s work presented in this exhibition, 90.000 N 135.000 W, is from 2021. The structure is hemispheric, and the coordinates in the title represent the North Pole. Comprised of carved wood, it has then been lacquered in black. This work bears the hallmarks of Graham’s distinctive practice; elegantly crafted, poignant, and pared back.
Graham has exhibited in a broad range of national and international contexts. He has exhibited twice at the Sydney Biennale (2006 and 2010), and at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. He has been awarded a wide range of prestigious residencies throughout Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific), North America, Asia and Europe. His work is included in significant collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
b. 1967, Aotearoa (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Tainui)
Brett Graham is widely recognised as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent contemporary artists. He has been a prominent figure within the contemporary Māori art movement since the early 1990s, exhibiting widely and attracting significant accolades. He is known for his large-scale sculptures and installation works that explore indigenous histories, politics, and philosophies. Viewing his own Māori whakapapa in relation to indigenous and non-Western identities around the world, Graham’s work often explores issues of imperialism.
Graham’s work presented in this exhibition, 90.000 N 135.000 W, is from 2021. The structure is hemispheric, and the coordinates in the title represent the North Pole. Comprised of carved wood, it has then been lacquered in black. This work bears the hallmarks of Graham’s distinctive practice; elegantly crafted, poignant, and pared back.
Graham has exhibited in a broad range of national and international contexts. He has exhibited twice at the Sydney Biennale (2006 and 2010), and at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. He has been awarded a wide range of prestigious residencies throughout Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific), North America, Asia and Europe. His work is included in significant collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Honolulu Museum of Art.