Chris Charteris
b. 1966
Resides Coromandel Peninsula
Emerging from a block of Coromandel Basalt, Chris Charteris’ Kaitiaki forms a stylised and striking penguin silhouette, inspired by the diversity and numbers of penguin breeding in the Subantarctic Islands.
Chris works across sculpture, jewellery, and carving, incorporating traditional and contemporary processes as he addresses his main theme of identity. Creating both functional and decorative forms, Chris draws inspiration from the natural materials he works with, such as basalt, pounamu, and whalebone; letting the materials guide his designs and creations.
Originally training in Māori design and carving at Te Rarawa Marae, Chris went on to tutor carving across Aotearoa before establishing Te Whare Whakairo Gallery and Workshop in Dunedin, in 1995. Chris has exhibited widely since 1996, and has numerous works in both private and public collections including, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, The Dowse Art Museum, the British Museum and the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.