Sean Kerr Awarded Artists Residency In Sydney

Wellington artist Sean Kerr has been awarded an artists residency at Artspace, a major contemporary art gallery in Woolloomooloo in Sydney.

The three-month Artspace residency, which Kerr will take up in December, is one of several artist residencies offered by the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand as part of its international residencies programme. It will provide the artist with a $3000 a month stipend, cover his residential studio expenses and contribute toward the cost of a project catalogue.

Kerr, who lectures in interactive media at Massey University’s Wellington campus, recently won the New Media Award in the inaugural 2000 National Portrait Awards.

Kerr graduated from Elam with a Masters of Fine Arts (1st class honours) in 1995, and has had more than 40 video installation works presented in public galleries and artist-run spaces since 1992.

“I’m really excited about working fulltime for three months on a new body of work,” he said. “The work will be presented to an Australian audience, which will help raise my own profile and that of other New Zealand visual artists.”

At Artspace, he plans to create a major site-specific installation using video, computer and sound.

“Although most of my art is technology-orientated, I tend to work in many mediums – sound, light, sculpture, interactive installations, video and painting,” he said.

“This cross-discipline approach is something I’ve been developing in my practice over the past 10 years. The residency will give me new opportunities to cross the boundaries between various disciplines and promote my identity as a contemporary visual artist.”

Nick Tsoutas, the director of Artspace, believes Kerr will find the residency invaluable.

“Sean’s experience, history and lecturing background will add another dimension to the residency and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Sydney,” he said.

This is the third time the Arts Board, in partnership with Artspace, has offered the residency. Gavin Hipkins was the inaugural artist-in-residence in 1998, followed by Yuk King Tan in 1999.

Also as part of its international residencies programme, the Arts Board recently announced that Christchurch jeweller Miriam Gribble was the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Object Centre for Contemporary Craft in Sydney.

Christchurch artist Peter Robinson, who was awarded the 1999 Künstlerhaus Bethanien residency, will complete his residency in October 2000. The one-year residency will be offered again in 2002.

ends

For further information, please contact:

Penelope Borland
Communications Manager
Creative New Zealand
Tel: 04-498 0723

Iona McNaughton
Communications Writer
Creative New Zealand
Tel: 04 498 0715

© Scoop Media