Ani O'Neill: Cottage Industry

19 July - 5 October 1997 in the Entire Gallery
Since graduating from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, O’Neill has exhibited widely and to considerable critical acclaim, representing New Zealand at the Asia-Pacific Triennial in Brisbane in 1996. O’Neill came to Wellington in 1997 as the recipient of the Rita Angus Fellowship.

O’Neill was raised in a traditional culture by her mother and Cook Islands grandparents, and this is a strong influence in her art. She was taught weaving and other Polynesian crafts and domestic skills, and uses these to create her artworks, which attempt to bridge the gap between her Rarotongan and Irish heritages.

Ani O’Neill’s project was staged in partnership with the Thorndon Trust, who administer the Rita Angus Fellowship with the support of Creative New Zealand.