GRAHAM BENNETT
1947 Born Nelson, New Zealand
1970Graduated University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts
1971Graduated Christchurch College of Education, Dip Tchg
Practicing Artist – current
1972- 1976 Secondary Teaching
1977- 1980 Travel
1981- 2000 Tertiary teaching, CPIT
2000- now -full time art practice
Selected Commissions and Public Art:
2012 Tipping Point, Songchu Art Valley, South Korea
2010 Reflect, Sumner Christchurch
Traverse, Hotel reception, Christchurch
2008Reach, Wanaka
Kaputone Creek Pedestrian Bridge, Christchurch
Insight, St Margaret’s College, Christchurch
2006Engage, Christchurch South Library
2005Reasons to Return, Connell’s Bay Sculpture Park, Waiheke Island
2004Fixing Positions, Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island
2003 Reasons for Voyaging Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Waiwhetu
2003 Lines Extending Kurashiki City, Japan
2002 Tribute to Firefighters, Christchurch
1997 Sea/Sky/Kaipara The Farm, Kaipara
Selected Awards:
2013 Residency Lincoln University
2012 ISF Residency, Seoul, South Korea
20082007,NZ Japan Exchange Programme (NZJEP) Grants
2000 1996, 1995, Asia 2000 Foundation Grants
1996 Trustbank Community Trust Arts Excellence award
1995 Fellowship in Visual Arts, New Zealand Arts Council, Toi Aotearoa
1990 New Zealand Arts Council Grant
1988 Artist in Residence, Nelson Polytechnic
1984 New Zealand Arts Council Grant
Solo Exhibitions and Installations:
2013 Heavy Shadows, Whitespace, Auckland
Survey, Aigantighe, Timaru
2012 Hard to Swallow, Diversion, Picton
2011 Weighting and Waiting, Millford Galleries, Dunedin
2010Auger Augur, Whitespace, Auckland
Pivot, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2009 Diversion Gallery, Grove Mill Winery, Marlborough
Latitude, The Arthouse, Christchurch
A Part, Cable Bay Vineyard, Waiheke Island
2008How Near, How Far?, Koru Gallery, Hong Kong
Latitude, Galerie Paris, Yokohama, Japan
Installation in ZAIM Contemporary Art Space, Yokohama, Japan
Converse, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2007Affinity, Shiori Gallery, Kurashiki, Japan, with Wataru Hamasaka
Seek, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2006Squaring the Circle, Milford Galleries Auckland
Squaring the Circle, Milford Galleries Dunedin
Ukabu, The Arthouse, Christchurch, with Wataru Hamasaka
2005Five Spaces, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2004Trajectories – Diversion Gallery, Grove Mill Winery, Marlborough
Spheres of Influence- The Arthouse Christchurch
2003Behind Reasons for Voyaging, Christchurch Art Gallery, Te Puna o Wai Whetu
Defining Markers, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2002Making Connections – Diversion Gallery, Grove Mill Winery, Marlborough
2000Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland
Milford Galleries, Dunedin
1999NICAF International Arts Festival Tokyo representing Galerie Paris, Japan
Hashimaya Gallery Kurashiki, Japan
1998Salamander Gallery, Christchurch
1997NICAF International Arts Festival, Tokyo, Japan
Galerie Paris, Yokohama, Japan
Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland
19961+1=3, Joint exhibition with Gavin Hitchings, Potters Gallery, Wellington
1+1=3, Joint exhibition with Gavin Hitchings, Salamander Gallery, Christchurch
Installation: ‘Demarcation’ 300 cast iron frames. Boulder Bank Nelson
Canal City (Gallery Miyabi) Fukuoka, Japan
1995Mie Prefecture Contemporary Art Museum, Japan
Gallery Miyazaki, Osaka, Japan
New Zealand Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Gallery Miyabi, Fukuoka, Japan
Gallery Arte Ferrana, Hamamatsu, Japan
1994Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland
1993Gallery Miyazaki, Osaka, Japan
1992Gallery Miyabi, Fukuoka, Japan
Installation in steel and glass, Grey River flood wall, Westland
Left Bank Gallery, Greymouth
Aeroclub Gallery, Port Chalmers, Dunedin
1991Installation Sea/Sky/Stone #2, Boulder Bank, Nelson waterfront
Installation Sea/Sky/Stone, Archery lawn, Christchurch Botanic Gardens
Suter Gallery, Nelson
Jonathan Jensen Gallery, Christchurch
1990Installation Sea/Sky/Stone #1, Boulder Bank, Nelson waterfront
1989Exhibition of 1988 Artist in Residence work, Suter Gallery, Nelson
Annex Gallery, Robert McDougall, Public Art Gallery Christchurch
1987′Parameters’ (invited Artists Project), Robert McDougall Public Gallery, Christchurch
Carnegie Centre, Dunedin
Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington
1986Gingko Gallery. Christchurch
Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington
Bishop Suter Gallery, Nelson
1985Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
1984Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington
1983Louise Beale Gallery, Wellington
Red Metro Gallery, Dunedin
1982Dunedin Public Art Gallery
Gingko Gallery, Christchurch
Bishop Suter Gallery, Nelson
1981 Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
1980 Art of Man Gallery, Sydney
Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch
Selected group participation:
2013 Headland Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island
2012 ISF 2012, Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
2011 Laisee, Koru Gallery, Hong Kong
Auckland Art Fair, representing Whitespace
Sculpture in the Garden, Auckland Botanic Gardens
Here I Stand, Diversion Gallery, Picton
Moving On, Canterbury Artists, Art in Oxford Gallery
NZ Art, Whitespace, Auckland
Sculpture on the Peninsula, Canterbury
Sculpture in Central Otago, Wanaka
Chambers 241 Opening exhibition, Christchurc
2010My City, Whitespace, Auckland
Shapeshifter Dowse Art Museum, Wellington Arts Festival
PromoArte, Tokyo, Japan
2009 Sculpture on the Peninsula, Canterbury
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, Matakana
Headland Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke Island
Sculpture in Central Otago, Rippon Estate, Wanaka
2008Promoarte Gallery Tokyo
Attitude, with Mild Red, Galerie Paris, Yokohama
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, Matakana
Conversations Across Time, Canterbury Museum, Christchurch
Save our Water, Ng Gallery Christchurch
3Bs, Milford Galleries, Auckland
ID Dunedin, collaboration with Mild-Red
Shapeshifter, Dowse Art Museum, Wellington Arts Festival
2007Sculpture in the Park, Waitakaruru , Waikato Sculpture Trust
NZ Artists, Taipei Art Fair, Taiwan
Koru Gallery, Hong Kong
ID Dunedin, collaboration with Mild-Red
Collaborative Tapestries, Marilyn RaeMenzies, Ng Gallery, Christchurch
Sculpture on the Peninsula, Guest exhibitor, Christchurch
Manifest, Guest exhibitor,Nelson Arts Festival
Art in Central Otago, Bannochburn
Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, Matakana
Second Side, The Arthouse, Christchurch
Group Exhibition, North Art, Auckland
2006Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, Sydney, Australia
Shapeshifter, Dowse Art Museum, Wellington Arts Festival
Gowshed opening exhibition, Connells Bay Sculpture Park, Waiheke Island
Sculpture in Central Otago,Bannochburn,
2005Crowded House, The Arthouse, Christchurch
Sculpture in Central Otago,Bannochburn,
Trilogy, Diversion Gallery, Marlborough
Shriek Revisited, 100 International Artists, Medialia Gallery, New York
COCA,Large-scale tapestry weaving with Marilyn Rae-Menzies
2004NZ Sculpture Onshore , Takapuna, Auckland
Shape shifter, Dowse Art Museum, Wellington Arts Festival
Dowse Foundation Auction for the Galvan Macnamara/James Mack Tribute
Sculpture in Central Otago,Bannochburn,
Transit of Venus, Milford Galleries, Auckland
After Woollaston, Catchment Gallery, Nelson
Seven, The Arthouse, Christchurch
2003Sculpture on the Gulf – Waiheke Island
2002<Participated in innumerable group exhibitions in the period 1979 – 2002 in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Japan, USA .
Selected Bibliography:
International Sculpture Festa in Seoul. ISF 2012 catalogue
Laisee, 10 Years of Koru Contemporary Art, Hong Kong ISBN 978-988-17747-0-5
A Gallery Without Walls, John and Jo Gow take a tour of their outdoor gallery at Connells Bay, Artsville TV1 45 mins.
Conversations Across Time, Whakawhiti Kōrero. Michael Reed, Karen Stevenson. ISBN978-0-908668-72-4
How Near, How Far, Koru Contemporary Art catalogue 2008, ISBN978-988-17747-2-9
Connells Bay Centre for Sculpture, pp 48 – 51,Robin Woodward
Squaring the Circle: New Work by Graham Bennett, Gina Irish and Ruth Harvey for Milford Galleries
Reasons to Return, DVD Documentary on Connell’s Bay commission,Mindseyeflicks 2006
Craft Arts International, N 60 ‘Changing Reflections’ Dr Cassandra Fusco
ArtPrice Vol 10, 08/04‘World Artist’ Feature article in a Korean Art magazine
World Sculpture News, Vol. 10 No. 1 2004 ‘Of Time and the Ocean’ Dr.Cassandra Fusco
VIP Magazine Summer 04/05
Sculpture Vol 23. No.3 April 2004(ISC, USA), ‘Reasons for Voyaging’, Jennifer Hay
‘The Farm, Kaipara New Zealand’, James Ross
‘Walking Through, Graham Bennett’s Reasons for Voyaging’, – Editor John Freeman-Moir, Southwalk Publishing 2003
‘Journey, The Story of the Steel’. – Rosa Shiels, published by Christchurch City Council 2003
Christchurch Press , Arts feature, October 23, 2002. ‘Fire and steel’ Christopher Moore
Christchurch Art Gallery Bulletin,125. Winter 2001, ‘Reasons For Voyaging’ Felicity Milburn
Meguro Museum, Tokyo catalogue, 2001.’ A shriek from an invisible box’
International Craft Arts [Aust] Issue 49 2000 ‘Praxis in practice’ Dr. CassandraFusco
World Sculpture NewsVolume 3 Number 2 Spring 1997 ‘The Importance of Dialogues’ Cassandra Fusco
Sculpture (International Sculpture Centre, USA) recent commissions – Amy Blankstein, October 1996
100 New Zealand Artists – Warwick Brown, Godwit Publishing 1996
Pacific Way. ‘Diverse Talent Focussing on Place’ – Adrienne Rewi, April 1995
‘The Crane and the Kotuku’ – Dianne and Peter Beatson, Manawatu Art Gallery Catalogue August 1994
Art NZ no 72, ‘Making Relations Forms and Forces’ – Cassandra Fusco, September 1994
Bibros, vol 12 – Fukuoka Japan, July 1992
Craft New Zealand no 38 ‘Objects in Landscape – Landscape in Objects’ – John Freeman-Moir, Dec 1991
Christchurch Press – Naomi Gilling, October 1991
Contemporary NZ Prints – Jill McIntosh. Allen & Unwin, 1989
Art NZ no 51 ‘Artists Construction of Nature’ – John Freeman-Moir, 1989
Art NZ no 44 Jonathan Smart, 1987
Louise Beale Gallery newsletter no 108 – John Freeman-Moir, 1987
‘Parameters’ – Robert McDougall Gallery Catalogue, 1987
New Zealand Art, A Modern Perspective – Elva Betts. Reed/Methuen, 1986
Landfall no 44 – Jonathan Smart, 1985
