Internationally-renowned Australian born, London based artist Christian Thompson (Bidjara People) (b. 1978) was the first recipient of Te Whare Hēra’s international artist-in-residence programme. Te Whare Hēra Wellington International Artist Residency is a joint initiative between Massey University’s Whiti o Rehua School of Art and Wellington City Council.
Thompson, who has completed his Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Trinity College, University of Oxford, was resident in Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington for two months. He carried out his practice in Te Whare Hēra’s impressive studio at the prow end of Clyde Quay Wharf (the old Overseas Passenger Terminal).
Primarily focused on a performative exploration of identity, concerning issues of cultural hybridity, and history, Thompson has a multidisciplinary practice engaging mediums such as photography, video, sculpture, performance and sound. His work provocatively addresses a myriad of themes, from the sensorial replication of memory, the mythology of landscape, to the critical parody and deconstruction of the identity of the artist. Thompson exhibits nationally and internationally, and his work is held in many major private and public collections across the world.
In this lecture Thompson discussed his creative practice and two projects he has undertaken at the University of Oxford; his series ‘We Bury Our Own’ at the Pitt Rivers Museum, and his survey exhibition at Trinity College where his photographs hung in place of formal portraits, breaking with 450 years of tradition.
