Shannon Te Ao's Mesmerizing Video Works Explored
Shannon Te Ao, a New Zealand artist with Ngāti Tūwharetoa roots, creates thought-provoking video art. His 2018 piece, 'my life as a tunnel,' takes cues from a moment in Charles Burnett's 1977 film 'Killer of Sheep,' featuring a slow dance to Dinah Washington's 1960 song 'This Bitter Earth,' now in Māori. Te Ao's portfolio also includes 'With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods' (2017) and 'Untitled (malady)' (2016), both blending indigenous stories with personal reflections in a calm, melancholic style. Based in Wellington, he won the Walters Prize from Auckland Art Gallery in 2016. His art has been shown at the Edinburgh Art Festival (2017), the Gwangju Biennale (2016), and the Biennale of Sydney (2014). You can see 'my life as a tunnel' at the Dowse Museum in Wellington until July 22.
Key facts
- Shannon Te Ao is a New Zealand artist of Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent.
- His two-channel video 'my life as a tunnel' (2018) is based on a scene from Charles Burnett's 'Killer of Sheep' (1977).
- The video features a slow dance to Dinah Washington's 'This Bitter Earth' (1960) translated into Māori.
- Te Ao's video project includes 'With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods' (2017) and 'Untitled (malady)' (2016).
- 'With the sun aglow' was first presented at the Edinburgh Art Festival in 2017.
- Te Ao won the Walters Prize in 2016 from Auckland Art Gallery.
- His work has been included in the 11th Gwangju Biennale (2016) and the Biennale of Sydney (2014).
- 'my life as a tunnel' is on show at Dowse Museum, Wellington, through 22 July.
Entities
Artists
- Shannon Te Ao
- Charles Burnett
- Dinah Washington
Institutions
- Auckland Art Gallery
- Edinburgh Art Festival
- Gwangju Biennale
- Biennale of Sydney
- Dowse Museum
- ArtReview Asia
- K11 Art Foundation
Locations
- Wellington
- New Zealand
- North Island
- Aotearoa
- Rangipo Desert
- Edinburgh
- Gwangju
- Sydney