Shannon Te Ao
Shannon Te Ao is a New Zealand artist and writer. He won the 2016 Walters Prize.
Education
Te Ao completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching at the University of Auckland. He has a master's degree from Massey University.Walters Prize
Te Ao was the sole New Zealand artist selected for the 19th Biennale of Sydney in 2014. His video work two shoots that stretch far out was shown at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the Biennale. 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.In March 2016 Te Ao was announced as a finalist for the biennial Walters Prize for the work. 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 , made of living plants arranged on pallets and lit by hanging lights. He was announced as the winner on 30 September 2016; the award was judged by Doryun Chong.
Exhibitions
2013- Follow the Party of the Whale, The Blue Oyster Art Project Space
- Follow the Party of the Whale, Adam Art Gallery
- 19th Biennale of Sydney
- Towards doing more, The Physics Room
- Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light , Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts
- Susan Te Kahurangi King and Shannon Te Ao: From the One I Call My Own, City Gallery Wellington
- Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light , Hastings City Art Gallery
- Walters Prize Award, Auckland Art Gallery
- Shannon Te Ao: Untitled , Robert Heald Gallery, Wellington
- Shannon Te Ao: Tēnei Ao Kawa Nei, Christchurch Art Gallery
- Shannon Te Ao: Untitled , City Gallery Wellingtonte huka o te tai, Artspace, Auckland
- Shannon Te Ao: With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods, Edinburgh Art Festival
Further information
Interviews
- , The Brag, 2014
- , Circuit, 23 July 2015
- , Saturday Morning programme, RNZ, 1 October 2016
- , Bulletin, Christchurch Art Gallery, February 2017
- , Standing Room Only, RNZ, 2 July 2017
Reviews
- Courtney Johnston,, Nine to Noon programme, RNZ, 1 July 2015
- Mark Amery, NZ Listener, 2 July 2015
- John Hurrell,, EyeContact, 15 July 2015
- Jessica Hubbard, EyeContact, 7 October 2015
- Megan Dunn,, Circuit, 11 October 2015
- John Hurrell,, EyeContact, 7 August 2016
- Tim Cornwall,, The Art Newspaper, 25 July 2017
- Laura Cumming,, The Observer, 30 July 2017.
- En Liang Khong, Frieze, 1 August 2017
- Andrew Clifford, Contemporary Hum, 4 December 2017
- Matariki Williams,, The Pantograph Punch, 22 June 2018
- Alex Davidson,, Artforum, July 2018
- Fi Churchman,, 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. It features essays by Tina Barton, Caterina Riva and Anna-Marie White.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.