Lonnie Hutchinson

Lonnie Hutchinson of Ngai Tahu, Samoan and European descent, was born in Auckland and works in the fields of installation, drawing, performance and moving image. Spatial consideration and the formal qualities of materials are primary to her practise. Lonnie is increasingly driven by research into her Polynesian heritage.

Exhibitions include solo show ‘Black Pearl (Jonathan Smart Gallery, Christchurch 2004). National Drawing Awards (Artspace, Auckland. The Physics Room, Christchurch 2004), Art and Industry Urban Arts Biennial 04 Home/Ground (Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Christchurch 2004), Nice Coloured Dolls(24HR Art, Darwin 2004) Telecom Prospect 2004 (City Gallery, Wellington) PUBLIC/PRIVATE: Tumata/Tumataiti, 2nd Triennial (Auckland City Art Gallery 2004), The External Thread, Toi Maori (Pataka Gallery, Wellington 2004 touring internationally), Adelaide Arts Biennal,Whare (Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute 2004), Lost and Found (Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane 2003-4), The Loni and Roni Show (The Physics Room, Christchurch 2003), Te Puawai O Ngai Tahu (Christchurch Art Gallery 2003) Nii’kso’kowa: My Bood Relative (The Other Gallery, Banff, Canada 2003), Dolly (w)rapper Mix (Waikato Museum of History and Art, Hamilton, NZ 2002), Purangiaho-Seeing Clearly (Auckland City Art Gallery 2001), Biennale d’art Contemporain (Jean Paul Tjibaou Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia 2000), Hiko! New Energies in Maori Art (Robert McDougall Art Annex, Christchurch 1999).

Hutchinson studied for four years at Unitec, Auckland obtaining a Bachelor of Design in 1998. She then completed a further year of study at the Christchurch College of Education in 1999.
In 2000 Hutchinson was the first woman recipient of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies residency at the University of Canterbury, and was also a recipient of the first International Indigenous Art residency at the Banff Art Centre, in Alberta, Canada in 2003.

Lonnie has taken workshops, completed short term/long term residencies and given lectures, floor talks, radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews both in New Zealand and overseas and her work has been reviewed in a variety of publications, including Art Asia Pacific, Art New Zealand, Object Magazine, Eyeline, Art News, The Press, New Zealand HeraldArt, Australia Monthly, Art Link, and the Brisbane Courier. Lonnie was also included in the first series of ‘Kete Aronui, the arts program on Maori TV, and has also been interviewed on Tagata Pasifika, TV One. Images of her work have appeared on National TV news programmes, billboards, flags and t’shirts. Lonnie’s work is in public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, and Canada.