Me kōrero tātou i ō tātou pūrākau mō tō tātou tuakiri mā te auahatanga.

ARTIST PROFILE

Shane is a New Zealand-based visual artist and designer whose practice spans socially engaged art, identity politics, and graphic communication.

Working across exhibition, poster design, installation, and moving image, his work explores the intersections of identity, cultural visibility, and visual advocacy within both institutional and alternative art spaces.

Educated at the Otago Polytechnic School of Art (Diploma of Fine Arts, 1990–1992), Shane emerged during a formative period in Aotearoa’s contemporary art scene, actively participating in exhibitions that foregrounded LGBTQ+ identity, community dialogue, and experimental approaches to image-making.

Early in his career, he exhibited widely across Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland, contributing to both student-led and professional gallery contexts.

A defining aspect of Shane’s early practice was his involvement in queer curatorial and exhibition-making initiatives.

In 1992, he coordinated I AM / KO AHAU: Lesbian and Gay Identity in Art at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, a landmark exhibition examining LGBTQ+ identity within contemporary visual culture.

In 1993, he curated the Lesbian and Gay Pride Week Exhibition at Solutions Gallery, Dunedin, reinforcing his commitment to advocacy through curatorial practice as well as artistic production.

His work has been shown in numerous exhibitions including Hero Art Exhibition (Auckland), Southern Man Exhibition (Dunedin), Not A Painting, and Dedicated to X, alongside participation in film-based and experimental projects such as Super 8 Openings.

These early works established a consistent engagement with identity, subculture, and the politics of representation.

In 2013, Shane’s practice gained renewed international recognition through inclusion in Graphic Advocacy: International Posters for the Digital Age 2001–2012, a major travelling exhibition curated by Elizabeth Resnick.

The exhibition toured extensively across the United States, including venues such as Massachusetts College of Art and Design (Boston), Pratt Institute (New York), Skidmore College, Cleveland State University, and the University of Notre Dame.

This body of work positioned his practice within a global context of socially engaged poster design and visual activism.

Shanes’s broader practice is interdisciplinary, combining graphic design, exhibition-making, and visual storytelling. His work consistently engages with themes of social justice, identity formation, and the role of design as a tool for cultural and political expression.

ART RESUME

Education

1990–1992
Diploma of Fine Arts
Otago Polytechnic School of Art, Dunedin, New Zealand

Exhibitions & Projects

1989

  • “Surreal Selves” (Resume Exhibition)
    O’Connells Pavilion, Queenstown, New Zealand

1991

  • Student Art Exhibition
    Union Hall, University of Otago, Dunedin

  • Lesbian and Gay Pride Week Exhibition
    Best Alternative Café, 10 Dowling Street, Dunedin

  • “Southern Man Exhibition”
    Assay Gallery, 319 George Street, Dunedin

  • Super 8 “Openings”
    Dunedin

1992

  • Hero Art Exhibition
    Chiaro Scuro Gallery, Auckland

  • Lesbian and Gay Pride Week Exhibition
    Solutions Gallery, 8 Vogel Street, Dunedin

  • Third Year Exhibition
    Ilam School of Art, University of Canterbury, Christchurch

  • “I AM / KO AHAU: Lesbian and Gay Identity in Art”
    Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Dunedin
    (Coordinator)

  • “Untitled” Exhibition
    O’Books Gallery, The Octagon, Dunedin

  • Anderson Park Annual Spring Exhibition
    Invercargill

  • Graduate Show
    Otago School of Fine Arts Exhibition, Otago Museum, Dunedin

1993

  • “Dedicated to X”
    Solutions Gallery
    Solutions Gallery, Dunedin

  • Hero Party Art Exhibition
    Artline Gallery, Auckland

  • “Not A Painting” Exhibition
    Solutions Gallery, Dunedin

  • Lesbian and Gay Pride Week Exhibition
    Solutions Gallery, Dunedin
    (Curator)

2013

Graphic Advocacy (Traveling Exhibition) 2013–2016

  • Stephen D. Paine Gallery
    Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston
    January 15 – March 2, 2013

  • Pratt Manhattan Gallery
    Pratt Institute, New York City
    July 8 – August 28, 2013

  • McDonough Museum of Art
    Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio
    September 13 – November 8, 2013

  • University Gallery
    William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey
    January 20 – March 14, 2014

    1. Schick Art Gallery
      Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
      March 31 – May 2, 2014

    2. Galleries
      Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
      May 16 – June 21, 2014

    3. University Galleries
      Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida
      September 7 – October 28, 2014

    4. University Gallery
      Towson University, Towson, Maryland
      November 13 – December 20, 2014

  • Snite Museum of Art
    University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
    January 18 – March 8, 2015

  • Ohio Northern University
    Ada, Ohio
    March 16 – April 7, 2015

  • The University of Southern Mississippi
    Hattiesburg, Mississippi

  • Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy
    Exeter, New Hampshire
    January – February 2016
    September 1 – September 25, 2015

  • 2014

  • “Company of Men”
    (Midsumma Festival Visual Arts Programme)
    Melbourne, Australia.
    15 January – 1 February

  • 2014 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
    “Company of Me”
    Platform72, Oxford Art Factory, Oxford Hotel
    12 February 2014

2015

  • “Company of Men”
    (Midsumma Festival Visual Arts Programme)
    Melbourne, Australia
    Dates: 15 January – 1 February

• “70 Years: Bombing Hiroshima”
Invitational Poster Exhibition (international designers)
University of Maryland, College Park (Art Department + University Art Gallery)
September 2 – October 16, 2015
https://gusmorainslie.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/questioning-the-bomb-poster/

Curatorial Experience

  • 1992 – Coordinator, “I AM / KO AHAU: Lesbian and Gay Identity in Art”
    Dunedin Public Art Gallery

  • 1993 – Curator, Lesbian and Gay Pride Week Exhibition
    Solutions Gallery, Dunedin

Professional Focus

  • Socially engaged and identity-based art

  • LGBTQ+ advocacy and representation in visual culture

  • Interdisciplinary practice including exhibition, film, and installation