1. Education

2. Walters Prize

3. Exhibitions

4. Further information
    Interviews  Reviews  Books 

5. References

Shannon Te Ao (born in Sydney in 1978) is a New Zealand artist and writer of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent.^[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]

Walters Prize

Te Ao was the sole New Zealand artist selected for the 19th Biennale of Sydney in 2014.^[3] His video work two shoots that stretch far out (2013-2014) was shown at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for the Biennale.^[4] 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.^[3]

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.^[5] 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.^[6] He was announced as the winner on 30 September 2016; the award was judged by Doryun Chong.^[7]

Exhibitions

• Follow the Party of the Whale, The Blue Oyster Art Project Space^[2]

• Follow the Party of the Whale, Adam Art Gallery^[8]
• 19th Biennale of Sydney
• Towards doing more, The Physics Room^[9]

• Shannon Te Ao: A torch and a light (cover), Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts^[10]
• 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 (cover), Hastings City Art Gallery ^[11]
• Walters Prize Award, Auckland Art Gallery^[12]
• Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (malady), Robert Heald Gallery, Wellington^[13]

• Shannon Te Ao: Tēnei Ao Kawa Nei, Christchurch Art Gallery ^[14]
• Shannon Te Ao: Untitled (McCahon House Studies), City Gallery Wellington^[15]
• te huka o te tai, Artspace, Auckland^[16]
• Shannon Te Ao: With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods, Edinburgh Art Festival^[17]

• Shannon Te Ao: my life as a tunnel, The Dowse Art Museum^[18]

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
• [https://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/bulletin/187/a-torch-and-a-light 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, [https://www.circuit.org.nz/blog/the-abode-of-indifference The Abode of Indifference], Circuit, 11 October 2015
• John Hurrell, More Is Less: The Walters Prize 2016, EyeContact, 7 August 2016
• Tim Cornwall, [https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/edinburgh-art-festival-artists-look-to-maori-traditions-19th-century-botany-and-jellyfish Edinburgh Art Festival: artists look to Maori traditions, 19th-century botany and jellyfish], The Art Newspaper, 25 July 2017
• Laura Cumming, [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/jul/30/edinburgh-art-festival-review-douglas-gordon-black-burns-graham-fagen-slaves-lament Edinburgh art festival review – the dark side of Robert Burns], The Observer, 30 July 2017.
• En Liang Khong [https://frieze.com/article/critics-guide-edinburgh Critic’s Guide: Edinburgh], Frieze, 1 August 2017
• Andrew Clifford [https://www.contemporaryhum.com/shannon-te-ao-in-edinburgh 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, [https://www.artforum.com/picks/shannon-te-ao-75888 Critic's pick: Shannon Te Ao], Artforum, July 2018
• Fi Churchman, [https://artreview.com/home/ara_summer_2018_future_greats_shannon_te_ao/ 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.^[19] It features essays by Tina Barton, Caterina Riva and Anna-Marie White.^[20]

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.^[21] ISBN 978186940858

References

• Yatta!
• Yattah
• Yatta, Hebron
• Yattalunga
• Yattalunga, New South Wales
• Yattaman
• Yatta, Palestine
• Yatta (town)
• Yattendon Castle
• Yattendon Estate
• Yattendon Group
• Yattendon Investment Trust plc
• Yatterman
• Yattle
• Yatton (Herefordshire)
• Yatton, Herefordshire
• Yatton Keynell
• Yatton railway station
• Ya-tung
• Yatung
• Ya Tvoi Vrag
• Ya Tvoy Vrag
• Yatzachi Zapoteco language
• Yatzechi Zapotec language
• Yatzpan