Born: 1985, New Zealand

EDUCATION
2016 Visual Arts MFA, Columbia University, New York
2007 Bachelor of Engineering (Civil, First Class Honours), University of Canterbury

MAJOR PERMANENT PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
2022 Rocks On Wheels, Southbank, City of Melbourne, AU
2022 Pockets Park, Leichhardt, Inner West Council, AU
2020 St Peters Fences, St Peters, Inner West Council, AU
2019 Lawson Poole Block Stack, City of Casey, AU
2018 Placed Illawarra Landscape, City of Wollongong, AU

AWARDS
2023 Winner, AILA National Award of Excellence
2020 Winner, Playspace Of The Year (<$0.5M), PLA National
2018 Winner, Playspace Of The Year (<$0.5M), PLA NSW/ACT
2014 Finalist, NAB Emerging Artist, Art Month Sydney
2013 Winner 'Best Artist', FBi SMAC Awards, Sydney
2010 Finalist, Anthony Harper Award, COCA, Christchurch

BIOGRAPHY
2024 Justin Paton, Art News Aotearoa, 01/04/2024 
2024 Jonathan Seidler, Esquire, 03/03/2024
2024 Danielle Jewson, AILA Victoria, 03/01/2024
2023 Jay Landers, ASCE Online, 03/04/2023
2023 David Neustein, The Monthly, 01/04/2023 
2023 Rosemary Forde, Contemporary Hum, 30/03/2023
2023 Bede Brennan, Landscape Australia, 19/03/2023
2023 M Dunn & Kim Hill, Radio New Zealand, @9:05’, 18/03
2023 Nick Selenitsch, Art + Edit Magazine, 13/03/2023
2023 Mimi Kirk, Bloomberg CityLAB, 5/02/2023
2023 Rupert Bickersteth, Dezeen, 4/01/2023
2022 Louise Bannister, Hello Lunch Lady, 9/12/2022
2022 Susie Ferguson, Radio New Zealand, 3/12/2022
2022 Breakfast Show, TV1 New Zealand, 22/11/2022
2022 Kate Hennessy, The Guardian, 14/11/2022
2022 Madi Chwasta, ABC Melbourne, 9/11/2022
2022 Sanné Mestrom, The Conversation, 9/11/2022
2022 Virginia Trioli, ABC Radio Melbourne, 7/11/2022
2022 Sophie Aubury, The Age, 7/11/2022
2022 Glen Humphries, Illawarra Mercury, 7/11/2022
2022 TEDx Sydney, Playing with risk: The dangers of thinking safe
2022 Kate Hennessy, New York Times Style Mag, 11/06/2022
2022 James Valentine, ABC Radio Sydney, 15/03/2022
2022 A Current Affair (9Now), 12/03/2022
2022 S McPhee&D White, Sydney Morning Herald, 11/02/22
2022 Megan Rowe, Illawarra Mercury, 6/01/2022
2021 Eloise Fuss, ABC The Mix, 19/10/2021
2021 Westconnex, Nine News, 27/09/2021
2021 David Cross, Artlink, 25/08/2021 (pdf version)
2021 Kate McIlwain, Illawarra Mercury, 21/04/2021
2021 Eli Diner, Cultured Magazine, 17/03/2021
2018 Nicole Frost, Domain, 6/05/2018
2018 Editorial Desk, Landscape Australia, 26/04/2018
2018 Emily Wong, Landscape Australia, 24/04/2018
2017 K McIlwain, Illawarra Mercury, 14/11/2017
2017 K McIlwain, Illawarra Mercury, 27/10/2017
2017 K McIlwain, Illawarra Mercury, 25/09/2017
2015 K McIlwain, Illawarra Mercury, 11/11/2015
2015 M Henkin, Try Hard Magazine, cover feature, 06/07/15
2014 V Anderson, The Press, Go Arts, p11, 04/07/14
2013 N Galvin, Sydney Morning Herald, Arts, p.20, 02/08
2013 K Kenny, The Press (Fairfax, NZ), p.A3, 22/04/13
2013 C Gates, The Press (Fairfax, NZ), p.4, 25/01/13
2012 C Moore, The Press (Fairfax, NZ), GO p.7, 08/06/12
2012 Christchurch Mail (Fairfax, NZ), p.4, 06/05/12
2012 C Gates, The Press (Fairfax, NZ), p.11, 19/05/12
2012 Adrienne Rewi, Art News NZ, Winter 2012
2011 Radio NZ, Arts on Sunday program, interview 27/11/11
2011 C Gates, The Press (Fairfax, NZ), p.1, 25/11/11

SELECTED TEMPORARY PUBLIC COMMISSIONS/INSTALLATIONS
2015 Pushkin Square, Markaff, Moscow, RU
2015 125th St Broadway, -, Harlem, US
2014 Un-PACE-d, -, Christchurch, NZ
2014 Of-Fences Port Hedland, -, Port Hedland , AU
2014 Skybridge, Christchurch City Council, NZ
2014 Prop Hide, Christchurch City Council, NZ
2013 IT HOLDS UP, MCA Australia, Sydney, AU
2013 Government Life Suspension, Christchurch, NZ
2013 Old Public Toilets, Private, Christchurch, NZ
2012 Unwin’s Stage 1 & 2, SHFA, Sydney, AU
2012 Homage To The Lost Spaces, Christchurch, NZ

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Fountains, Michael Lett, Tāmaki Makaurau, NZ
2013 Stud Flight, Blue Oyster, Dunedin, NZ
2013 Flip-Flop (G. Thackway), Alaska Projects, Sydney, AU
2013 Polymorphia, Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney, AU
2011 Under Standing Loss, 45 Downstairs, Melbourne, AU
2011 Fallen 3, Alexis Fine Arts Gallery, Christchurch, NZ

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018 (Un)Conditional IV, The Physics Room, NZ
2016 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Fisher Landau Centre, NY
2015 Fl0ating P0int, Judith Charles Gallery, NY
2015 MFA First Year Show, Wallach Art Gallery, NY
2014 Alaska X DP, Dog Park, Christchurch, NZ
2013 Breathing Room, MOP, Sydney, AU
2013 Firstdraft After Dark, Firstdraft (Art Month Sydney)

 

BIO

Mike Hewson is a visual artist with a background in structural engineering and heavy-civil construction. His award-winning projects pioneer new ways to merge conceptual art projects into the public realm.

Hewson works to prove we can, in fact, do things that are considered untenable in a public setting. Each project aims to catalyse fresh conversation about how the bureaucratic and managerial aspects of power are shaping our public lives, asking if we like that shape or if we’d like to explore other freer options.

He has completed five large-scale public art commissions in Australia, many of them sculpture-park-cum-playgrounds that are sensibly strange and risk-positive. Hewson received a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand, in 2007 and a Master of Fine Arts (Visual Arts) from Columbia University, New York in 2016.