Born 1967 in Timaru, New Zealand. Lives in Wellington, New Zealand.
(she/her/hers)
Ann Shelton’s most recent work engages with plant narratives and histories, in particular the intersection of these histories with human knowledge systems. Shelton is interested in how the perceived power play between plants and humans can be questioned, redefined and modified through art–questions that urgently come into play as we move deeper into the era of the anthropocene. Shelton’s work has been the subject of numerous international exhibitions, in addition to being included in Images Recalled, Germany’s largest photographic biennale.
Ann Shelton is recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading photographic artists. Shelton completed a Master of Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia (2001), Vancouver and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (1995) from Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University. In 2016 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki developed the major mid-career survey exhibition Dark Matter: Ann Shelton curated by Zara Stanhope, which toured to Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū in 2017. Recent exhibitions include jane says, Denny Dimin Gallery, New York (2019), Invisible Traces, Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castelló, Spain curated by Mercedes Vicente (2014), in a forest (excerpts), The Australian Center for Photography, Sydney, Australia (2012), Dark Sky at The Adam Art Gallery, Wellington curated by Geoffery Batchen and Tina Barton (2012), Images Recalled (Bilder auf Abruf), Germany, Tobias Berger and Esther Ruelfs (2009), and a way of calling at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne curated by Melissa Keys.
Inspired by the Japanese art of flower arrangement, ikebana, Shelton has carefully shaped various flora—sticks, moss, flowers, seeds—into striking compositions that she photographed against bright monochromatic backgrounds.
“A Lovers’ Herbal” is Shelton’s first solo show since New Zealand legalized abortion (for up to twenty weeks’ gestation) in March 2020. This web presentation, dense with information, displays new photographs from “jane says,” a short video interview, ikebana book images, and texts that detail the links between colonialism and the suppression of herbal medical knowledge.
Artist Ann Shelton and Critic Claire Voon will be in conversation about the artist’s current virtual exhibition “A Lovers’ Herbal” at Denny Dimin Gallery.
Ann Shelton’s new work ‘an invitation to dance’ was commissioned by Photo Australia and the Metro Tunnel Creative Program for PHOTO 2021.
A new exhibition by one of New Zealand’s most lauded lens-based practitioners Ann Shelton explores female experiences of representation, control, fertility and trauma.
Photography is a bit of a bitch. It has been a willing accomplice in this whole imperialist project.
Ann Shelton’s brightly colored photographs of exquisite floral arrangements, on view now at New York’s Denny Dimin Gallery, aren’t just beautiful—they also carry a hidden meaning.
Denny Dimin Gallery has launched its Tribeca space with a show of fertility-focused photographs by the New Zealand artist Ann Shelton, jane says.
Shelton’s thoughtful brand of feminist flower arranging throws the delicate daintiness of the practice out the window. As much as it might seem unlikely, these are intellectual, in fact subtly angry, activist photographs that encourage women to take back the knowledge that is rightfully theirs.
Here are Galerie’s picks of the must-see art and design events in New York this week, from the unveiling of Alicja Kwade’s rooftop installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Brooklyn Museum’s annual gala.
The resulting prints are currently on view at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki as part of Shelton’s retrospective, Dark Matter. Curated by Zara Stanhope, the exhibition centers on series that explore themes from trauma to female authorship through photos that often conflate fact and fiction.
Through a wide range of photographic investigations, Wellington-based artist Ann Shelton has, over her 20-year career, explored the construction of narratives that surround social, political and historical contexts.
Artist Ann Shelton and critic Claire Voon in conversation about the artist’s current virtual exhibition “A Lovers’ Herbal” . They discussed the evolution of Shelton’s work and how her practice was affected by a visit to New York City in 2019.
Ann Shelton sits down with Emil McAvoy from Art Collector Magazine to discuss her new work The Super Model, Iris (Iridaceae sp.), showing at Sydney Contemporary Presents 2020 with Two Rooms Gallery, Auckland.
The physical garden was a live performance during Ann Shelton’s exhibition jane says at Denny Dimin Gallery from April 18 – May 19, 2019.
