Shane Cotton, Palmerston North, ONZM, for services to the visual arts
Mr Shane Cotton is a leading contemporary New Zealand visual artist who focuses on themes related to New Zealand’s bicultural development and identity, including history, politics and art. He was a lecturer at Massey University’s Visual Arts Programme until 2005. His work has been exhibited widely in New Zealand and internationally, including at the Asia Society Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney (both in 2004) and, at the Prague Biennial in 2005. His work was included in the 3rd Auckland Biennial at the Auckland Art Gallery in 2007. Major collections hold examples of this work, including Te Papa Tongarewa - The Museum of New Zealand; the Auckland Art Gallery; the Chartwell Collection; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; and the National Gallery of Australia. Mr Cotton has received numerous awards including the Arts Foundation Laureate Award in 2008.