Shannon Te Ao

New Zealand artist
Shannon Te Ao, Massey University, 2016

Shannon Te Ao (born in Sydney in 1978) is a New Zealand artist and writer.[1] He won the 2016 Walters Prize.

Education

Te Ao completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching at the University of Auckland.[2] He has a master's degree from Massey University.[3]

Walters Prize

Te Ao was the sole New Zealand artist selected for the 19th Biennale of Sydney in 2014.[4] His video work two shoots that stretch far out (2013-2014) was shown at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the Biennale.[5] In 2015 the work was shown at City Gallery Wellington alongside drawings by Susan Te Kahurangi King in the exhibition Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own.[4]

In March 2016 Te Ao was announced as a finalist for the biennial Walters Prize (New Zealand's largest visual arts prize) for the work.[6] For his presentation in the Walters Prize exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery Te Ao showed two shoots that stretch far out in one room, and in a space leading in to the screening installed Okea ururoatia (never say die) (2016), made of living plants arranged on pallets and lit by hanging lights.[7] He was announced as the winner on 30 September 2016; the award was judged by Doryun Chong.[8]

Exhibitions

2013

2014

  • Follow the Party of the Whale, Adam Art Gallery[9]
  • 19th Biennale of Sydney
  • Towards doing more, The Physics Room[10]

2015

  • Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light (cover), Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts[11]
  • Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own, City Gallery Wellington

2016

  • Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light (cover), Hastings City Art Gallery [12]
  • Walters Prize Award, Auckland Art Gallery[13]
  • Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (malady), Robert Heald Gallery, Wellington[14]

2017

  • Shannon Te Ao: Tēnei Ao Kawa Nei, Christchurch Art Gallery[15]
  • Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (McCahon House Studies), City Gallery Wellington[16]
  • te huka o te tai, Artspace, Auckland[17]
  • Shannon Te Ao: With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods, Edinburgh Art Festival[18]

2018

Further information

Interviews

  • Five Minutes With Shannon Te Ao, The Brag, 2014
  • Shannon Te Ao interviewed by Mark Amery, Circuit, 23 July 2015
  • Shannon Te Ao interviewed by Kim Hill, Saturday Morning programme, RNZ, 1 October 2016
  • Shannon Te Ao interviewed by Nathan Pohio, Bulletin, Christchurch Art Gallery, February 2017
  • Shannon Te Ao interviewed by Lynn Freeman, Standing Room Only, RNZ, 2 July 2017

Reviews

  • Courtney Johnston, Review of Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own, Nine to Noon programme, RNZ, 1 July 2015
  • Mark Amery Review of Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own, NZ Listener, 2 July 2015
  • John Hurrell, A New Shannon Te Ao Video, EyeContact, 15 July 2015
  • Jessica Hubbard Searching for a Nonverbal Connection, EyeContact, 7 October 2015
  • Megan Dunn, The Abode of Indifference, Circuit, 11 October 2015
  • John Hurrell, More Is Less: The Walters Prize 2016, EyeContact, 7 August 2016
  • Tim Cornwall, Edinburgh Art Festival: artists look to Maori traditions, 19th-century botany and jellyfish, The Art Newspaper, 25 July 2017
  • Laura Cumming, Edinburgh art festival review – the dark side of Robert Burns, The Observer, 30 July 2017.
  • En Liang Khong Critic’s Guide: Edinburgh, Frieze, 1 August 2017
  • Andrew Clifford Shannon Te Ao: With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods, Contemporary Hum, 4 December 2017
  • Matariki Williams, The Singing Word: On Shannon Te Ao’s my life as a tunnel, The Pantograph Punch, 22 June 2018
  • Alex Davidson, Critic's pick: Shannon Te Ao, Artforum, July 2018
  • Fi Churchman, Future Greats: Shannon Te Ao, Art Review Asia, Summer 2018

Books

An artist book, I can press my face up against the glass, was published by The Physics Room in 2014.[20] It features essays by Tina Barton, Caterina Riva and Anna-Marie White.[21]

A chapter on Te Ao's work is included in New Zealand writer Anthony Byrt's 2016 book This Model World: Travels to the Edge of Contemporary Art. A still from his 2014 work two shoots that stretch far out was used for the cover of the book.[22] ISBN 978-1-86940-858-9

References

  1. ^ "Three Māori artists finalists for Walters prize". Mana Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ a b "Te Ao, Shannon". Massey University. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  3. ^ Te Ao, Shannon (2015). Part tree, part canoe (Masters thesis). Massey Research Online, Massey University. hdl:10179/7574.
  4. ^ a b "Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own". City Gallery Wellington. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Shannon Te Ao". Biennale of Sydney. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Four artists announced for the Walters Prize 2016". Auckland Art Gallery. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Wellington-based artist Shannon Te Ao wins the Walters Prize". Stuff.co.nz. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Wellington artist takes out Walters Prize". Radio New Zealand. 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  9. ^ "New moving-image series launches with installation by Shannon Te Ao". Victoria University of Wellington. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: Towards Doing More". The Physics Room. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light (cover)". Te Tuhi. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  12. ^ "A torch and a light (cover) : Shannon Te Ao". Hastings City Art Gallery. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  13. ^ "The Walters Prize 2016". Auckland Art Gallery. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (malady), 2016". Robert Heald Gallery. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: Tēnei Ao Kawa Nei". Christchurch Art Gallery. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (McCahon House Studies)". City Gallery Wellington. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Shannon Te Ao - te huka o te tai". ARTSPACE. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods". Edinburgh Art Festival. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  19. ^ "Shannon Te Ao: my life as a tunnel | The Dowse Art Museum". The Dowse Art Museum. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  20. ^ "I can press my face up against the glass". The Physics Room. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Publications review". Circuitcast. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  22. ^ This Model World: Travels to the Edge of Contemporary Art - Books - Auckland University Press - The University of Auckland. Auckland University Press. ISBN 978-1-86940-858-9. Retrieved 17 February 2018.