In this episode, I sit down with Ōtepoti based artist Simon Kaan at Sanderson gallery in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Simon is of Ngāi Tahu, Chinese and Pākeha descent. He has a Diploma of Fine Arts, with Honours, from Otago Polytechnic, and has works held in numerous public and private collections including The University of Waikato collection, at The Arts House Trust and the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu collection. He has also been the recipient of several art awards and residencies.

He is represented by Sanderson Gallery in Auckland, Gallery Thirty Three in Wanaka and De Nova gallery in Ōtepoti.

There are images of the paintings that we talk about on The Good Oil Simon Kaan Instagram Post for your reference.

In the episode you’ll hear Simon speak about the influences of his Chinese, Māori and European whakapapa on his life and practice, how the absence of a Western art aesthetic growing up made art school more challenging, but also allowed him to create his uniquely own work, the significant influence of Marilyn Webb, his encounters with Ralph Hotere and a kind of parallel of Ralph's painting that Simon sees in his own work, and his ongoing collaboration with ceramicist and uku maker, Wi Taepa