| Artist Profile of Bronwynne Cornish |
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Bronwynne Cornish is a ceramic sculptor who is also well-known for her installation work and other 'multi-part' pieces.
Cornish originally studied to be an industrial designer but later discovered her true passion lay with earthenware and became an apprentice to leading New Zealand potter Helen Mason in 1968.
Cornish has since become one of New Zealand's best known ceramic artists. Highlights in her career include representing New Zealand at the Brisbane Triennial in 1996 and a solo show at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki in 2002. This exhibition, entitled 'Allude', referenced Cornish's fascination with New Zealand expatriate painter Frances Hodgkins who, in turn, had been fascinated by ceramic art. Cornish has also been the recipient of several awards, including a major prize at the Norsewear Art Award in 2004 for work she created in collaboration with her partner, painter Denys Watkins. She is an important figure in the recent history of New Zealand ceramics, in her role as both an artist and a teacher. Her approach towards her sculpture has seen her exhibit widely and earned her recognition and critical acclaim as a highly influential contributor to New Zealand ceramics and art-education.
Cornish's current series 'Trans-animals' looks at the crossover between people and animals, placing those characteristics in fine balance and emphasising the 'wildness' that we have lost in our lives today.
Cornish says, 'I make work that I hope will create a certain atmosphere, ring a long-lost bell, and help people create their own mythologies.'
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Auckland Museum, Auckland
Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill
Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt
The Collection of Foreign Affairs, Wellington
Te Manawa, Palmerston North
Wallace Collection, Auckland
Kobayashi Collection, Tokyo
Sargeant Gallery, Wanganui
Please contact the gallery for further information on available work.
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Selected works of Bronwynne Cornish
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