The Wellington International Artist Residency, Te Whare Hēra, inaugurates the program with Christian Thompson and Sasha Huber

October 03, 2014 Christian Thompson; Trinity II, Polari, 2014. Courtesy of the artist; Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi, Melbourne; and Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney and Berlin. © Christian Thompson. Wellington International Artist Residency, Te Whare Hēra Inaugural artists-in-residence: Christian Thompson and Sasha Huber Christian Thompson: 10 October–10 December 2014  Sasha Huber: 1 February–30 June 2015 The Wellington International Artist Residency,  Te Whare Hēra Clyde Quay Wharf  Wellington  New Zealand creative.massey.ac.nz  Share Te Whare Hēra (Wellington, New Zealand) announces its first international artist-in-residence, Australian artist Christian Thompson.  Te Whare Hēra is the only international residency programme in New Zealand with a duration of up to six months. It also has the best view. Nestled at the prow end of Clyde Quay Wharf on Wellington harbour, Te Whare Hēra is housed in an Athfield Architects designed live/work suite including a studio, apartment and gallery space.  This new initiative by Whiti o Rehua—The School of Art at Massey University and Wellington City Council supports contemporary, innovative, engaged work by international artists to be produced in Wellington and shared with local and national audiences.  Whiti o Rehua—The School of Art is well placed to run the residency, with its interdisciplinary contextual philosophy, strong commitment to socially, politically and culturally engaged art practices, and well-connected faculty. Each of the resident artists will be warmly hosted, introduced to peer artists, curators, writers, collectors and to individuals and organisations aligned with their research interests.   The first artist-in-residence, Christian Thompson, is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work explores issues of identity, cultural hybridity and history. He is an Inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar and one of the first Aboriginal Australians to be accepted into the University of Oxford in its 900-year history, where he is currently reading for a Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Trinity College. His multidisciplinary practice engages media such as photography, video, sculpture, performance and sound.  Thompson came to prominence in Australia in the late 1990s and his work is primarily focused on the performative exploration of identity. In his performances and photographic works he inhabits a range a personas achieved through hand-crafted costumes and carefully orchestrated poses and backdrops.  Thompson's artistic practice has been informed by his absorption of a wide range of cultures in his youth. Interweaving traditional or vintage props with elements of pop culture and garish touches from the 1980s, he is known for his subtle references to land and culture of the Bidjara people. His work provocatively explores a myriad of themes from the sensorial replication of childhood memories of the Australian desert hinterland, the critical parody and deconstruction of the identity of the artist, and the mythology of landscape. Thompson has been included in such exhibitions as unDisclosed, 2nd National Indigenous Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Collection, Valencian Institute of Modern Art, Valencia, Spain; Hijacked III, QUOD Gallery, Derby, UK; Shadow life, Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, Bangkok, Thailand; The Beauty of Distance / Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age, 17th Biennale of Sydney; and Cultural Warriors, National Indigenous Art Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (touring). Thompson's work is held in major public and private collections including Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane; Aboriginal Art Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and the University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane. The second resident (February–June 2015) is Sasha Huber, who will be joined by her partner, artist and curator Petri Saarikko. Huber is a visual artist who currently lives and works in Helsinki. She uses various media including video, photography, drawing, intervention and stapling. She is of European and Haitian heritage, and allies herself with the Caribbean diaspora. Artists are only invited to undertake a residency in Te Whare Hēra, there is no formal proposal process. The residency covers artists' travel and accommodation, an honorarium and a materials stipend. Artists will receive technical and logistical support, and access to facilities from Whiti o Rehua, along with facilitation of public events and exhibition of their work. Wellington is the vibrant, creative capital of New Zealand Aotearoa. It is home to a lively arts and culture scene, including Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Nga Taonga Sound and Vision, and National Library of New Zealand. It has two universities (Massey University and Victoria University), excellent contemporary art galleries and project spaces. Renowned for its rich cultures of literature, film and music, it also hosts a wealth of coffee houses, craft breweries, cafes, bars and restaurants. New Zealand Aotearoa is a bi-cultural nation with a diverse multicultural population. Māori are tangata whenua, the indigenous people of the land, and this culture is an integral and central part of New Zealand life. Contact Ann Shelton for more information at a.shelton@massey.ac.nz.  Contact Subscribe Unsubscribe RSS