Chris Booth (born 30 December 1948) is a New Zealand sculptor and practitioner of large-scale land art.[citation needed][1]
He has participated in numerous land art projects and exhibitions internationally and created significant public sculpture commissions in NZ, Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, France and Canada.[citation needed][1]
Early life
Booth was born in Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands. He studied at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts[2] before taking two years of specialist study in the United Kingdom with sculptors Dame Barbara Hepworth,[3] Denis Mitchell, and John Milne in St Ives; and Quinto Ghermandi in Verona, Italy.[citation needed][1] Some of Booth's earliest works were inspired by the clearing of scrubland in Northland Region and his concern for how this affected the balance of nature.[4]
Style
Chris Booth works closely with the land, earth forms, and indigenous peoples of the region(s) where he creates his monumental sculptural art works. His way of working emphasises communication and exchange between indigenous and colonial cultures and the creation of meaningful environmental art works.[citation needed][1]
A major current project is the SLS (Subterranean Living Sculpture) which Booth is developing in association with the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. The major focus is to educate about the importance of lower plants and fungi for survival and the effect of climate change. Plans are underway to establish the SLS in New Zealand[5].[citation needed]
Critical reception
Canadian author and curator John Grande commented, "What is more remarkable are the various forms of sculpture he has gone on to produce, entirely unique. While Booth's sculpture sometimes draws upon indigenous Maori and Aborigine characteristics, they remain unique, and capture aspects of topography, natural history, and landscape forms already extant in the places he works."[6]
Awards and honours
In 2011 Booth was awarded Honorary Fellow at Northtec Tai Tokerau Wānanga for 'outstanding and distinguished contribution to society'.[7] In 1982 Booth was the recipient of the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at the University of Otago, NZ.[8]
Te Haa o Te Ao (The Breath of the World),Kerikeri, New Zealand. (2023). Kinetic sculpture on the theme of climate change created with Tom Hei Hei[23]
Print, film, and media
Booth was the subject of Woven Stone- a monograph published in 2007 by Random House, New Zealand.[24]
Publications include: 'Public Art and Ecology, International Public Artists' Discourse on Ecology', Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, China, 2011,[25] 'New Zealand Sculpture: A History[26]', Michael Dunn, 2002; 'Chris Booth – Sculpture in Europe, Australia & New Zealand[27]', Edward Lucie-Smith, Ken Scarlett and Gregory O'Brien, 2001; 'Chris Booth Sculpture', David Bateman 1993.[28]
Films include: 'When a Warrior Dies', 1992, Valhalla Productions, Wellington, NZ; Director: Michael Hardcastle;[29] 'Respecting the Earth', 2005, Director: Libby Hakaraia, Maori Television Kete Aronui series III; The Making of Wurrungwuri, 2013, Director: David Stalley, Brain in Hand Productions.[30]
^"In Celebration Of A Tor". Grizedale Forest Sculpture 1977-2020. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^Slade, Natalie; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Chris Booth with 'Gateway'". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^"Chris Booth". Sculpture On The Gulf. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
^Dunn, Professor Michael (2002). New Zealand Sculpture: A History. NZ: Auckland University Press. ISBN9781869404253.
^Edward Lucie-Smith, Ken Scarlett and Gregory O'Brien (2001). Chris Booth – Sculpture in Europe, Australia & New Zealand. NZ: Random House NZ. ISBN1-86962-073-9.
^Johnston, Alexa (1993). Chris Booth Sculpture. NZ: David Bateman. ISBN1-86953-130-2.
