education | career
Artist / Founder Gatfield Studio 1998–
Masters of Fine Arts (Hons), University of Auckland 2004
Director / Founder Equity Works Ltd. 1993-1998
Barrister & Solicitor (Human Rights/Law Reform) 1987-1998
Bachelor of Laws, University of Auckland 1987
Artist residencies
Cultivate La Baldi Residency Tuscany 2026
NARS Foundation New York City, Artist in Residence Season III 2025
Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art NYC, Research Scholar 2024
Foreign Objekt, Intelligence/Computation Lab, Research Artist Residency 2024–25
Ionion Center for Arts & Culture Greece, Artist in Residence 2023
Poison Creek Sculpture Project NZ, Artist in Residence 2023–24
Vermont Studio Centre, Sculpture Fellow / Artist in Residence 2019
KØN/Kvindemuseet Gender Museum Denmark, Artist in Residence 2015
further education
Art, Apparatus and Neural-Digital Entanglement in Cognitive Capitalism 2024, SFSIA NYC
Racial Justice Working Group 2020-2021, SheEO – UN Sustainable Development Goals Project
The Architectural Imagination 2020, Harvard X, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
awards & GRANTS
National Small Sculpture Prize (NZ) Premier Award Tablet 2026
Cultivate La Baldi International Artist Residency Award 2026
CODAawards 2025 Top 100 Public Artworks, HALO 2025
SFSIA Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art NYC Scholarship 2024
Poison Creek Sculpture Project Commission 2024
Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Global Digital New Work Grant 2023
Wellington Sculpture Trust 4oth Anniversary Public Art Commission 2023
Ionion Center for Arts & Culture Greece, Exhibition Award 2023
European Cultural Centre, Venice Art Biennale Invited Artist 2022
CODAworx Creative Revolutionary 2020
Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Digital Arts Grant 2020
NSW Government Westconnex Sculpture Park Sydney Commission 2020-24
NZ Women of Influence Awards: Diversity and Arts & Culture 2019
CODAawards 2019 Public Art Award, Glass Ceiling Merit Honors
CODAawards 2019 Top 100 Public Artworks, Glass Ceiling Jury Selection
Creative New Zealand Arts Grant Glass Ceiling 2019
Vermont Studio Centre Sculpture Fellowship 2019
Global Art Affairs Foundation / European Cultural Centre, Venice Architecture Biennale 2018, Invited Artist
American Institute of Architecture, A'18 NYC 2018 Invited Artist
CODAawards 2017 Public Art, The Kiss Landscape Award
CODAawards 2017 Top 100 Public Artworks The Kiss Jury Selection
SCAPE Public Art 2016-2017 Season, Christchurch NZ, Invited Artist
NZ Small Sculpture Prize Finalist Exhibition 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016
KØN/Kvindemuseet Gender Museum Denmark, Exhibition Award 2015
Sculpture by the Sea 2015, Aarhus Denmark Jury Selection
18th International Open Art Award 2015, WomanMade Gallery Chicago, Juror
Chicago Sculpture International 2014, Jury Selection
Shapeshifter 2014, NZ International Arts Festival Wellington, Invited Artist
Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2013 Sydney Australia, Invited Artist
16th International Open 2013 Finalist, WomanMade Gallery Chicago
Parallax Art Fair 2013 New York, Invited Artist
Public Art Sculpture Award 2010 Silhouette Smales Farm Commission
Wallace Art Awards 2011 / Dowse Museum Finalist Exhibition 2011
Morpeth Canaday Art Award Finalist 2011
Walker & Hall National 2D Art Award Finalist 2010
Centre of Contemporary Art Awards NZ Finalist 2008, 2009, 2010
NZ Painting & Printmaking Award Finalist 2009
Dunedin Performance Art Festival, Blue Oyster Gallery Selected Artist 2008
Wallace Art Awards 2007 Finalist Salon de Refuse
National Contemporary Art Award (3D) Finalist 2006
International Women's Art Festival 2006 Vienna Austria, Skirt Collective, Jury Selection
Waikato National Art Award (2D) 2004 Finalist / 2005 Merit Prize
Te Tuhi Public Gallery Auckland 2004 Cameo Project
Goldwater Art Award Finalist 2003
Morpeth Canaday Art Award Finalist 2002
Auckland City Creative Communities 2001 Exhibition Grant
North Shore Pumphouse Art Awards Finalist 2001
Solo Exhibitions | projects
Habeas Corpus 2025, NARS Foundation NYC (29 Aug–20 Sept 2025)
In Absentia 2023–, UNESCO Geopark Kefalonia & Ithaca Greece
UNITY 2022, 'Personal Structures' European Cultural Centre, 2022 Venice Biennale
Alter Ego 2021–2022, Kunstverein am Rosa Luxemburg Platz Berlin
Survey 2021, Scott Lawrie Gallery Auckland NZ
The Wall (US) 2019 Vermont Studio Centre USA
Glass Ceiling (NZ Aotearoa) 2019 Silo Park, Auckland NZ
Suffragettes 2016, Corner Window Gallery, Auckland NZ
Glasloft/Glass Ceiling 2015, Kvindemuseet / KØN Museum Aarhus Denmark
Square Root 2013, 'Squaring Up - 100 Years After Malevich' Melbourne Australia
Vanity Fair 2013, The Prince George, New York
Third Person 2010, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch
Suspended Sentence 2009, Physics Room Kiosk, Christchurch
En Plein Air 2009, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch
Current Work 2008, City Art Rooms, Auckland
Performance Painting 2008, Blue Oyster Gallery, Dunedin
First Person/Present Tense 2008, Installation City Art Rooms, Auckland
Being-Made 2007, City Art Rooms, Auckland
Nappy Painting 2006, Massey University, Albany
Kaitiaki 2004, Cameo Project, Te Tuhi / Manukau Public Art Gallery
Eve n Eden 2003, Window Project, Eden Arts Festival Auckland
In-Out 2003, University of Auckland
Kaitiaki 2003, Mount Street Studios, University of Auckland
Moving Mountains 2002, Whakatane Museum & Gallery NZ / Rotorua Museum of Art & History NZ
In the Balance 2002, University of Auckland
1000 Words 1999, ASA Gallery, Auckland
public art | sculpture
HALO 2024–2025 Saas-Fee Summer Institute / Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City
Asterisk 2021–2024 NSW Government Westconnex Sculpture Park, Sydney
The Snake Charmer 2024 Poison Creek Sculpture Project NZ
HALO 2023-2024 Wellington Sculpture Trust, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Waitangi Treaty Grounds NZ
In Absentia 2023 UNESCO Geopark Kefalonia & Ithaca, Greece
Native Tongue XR 2018-2025, New York, Perth, Berlin, Venice
Glass Ceiling (NZ Aotearoa) 2019 Silo Park Auckland NZ
Zealandia 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale / Government House Auckland NZ
The Kiss 2015 Sculpture by the Sea Aarhus Denmark / 2016 SCAPE Public Art
The Snake Charmer 2012 NZ Sculpture Onshore / 2021 Aotearoa Art Fair
Native Tongue 2012 Botanic Gardens / Spark NZ Auckland
Silhouette 2011 Smales Farm Transport Station Auckland
Half Glass 2010 Headland Sculpture on Gulf Waiheke Island
Babel 2010 Kaipara Coast Sculpture Garden
Mirror Image 2009 NZ Sculpture Onshore / 2021 SCAPE Public Art
First Person Present Tense 2008 City Art Rooms Auckland
IAM/MAI 2007 City Art Rooms Auckland
Grass Roots 2006 NZ Sculpture Onshore
Group Exhibitions
It would hurt us – were we awake –, Season III 2025 International Residency Exhibition (Curator Daniela Mayer), NARS Foundation New York
Paradise 2024–25, Poison Creek Sculpture Project Otago
Deep Objekt [] 2024, Foreign Objekt (multiple platforms)
Abstraxt Abstraxt 2024, NorthArt Gallery Auckland
Aoteaora NZ Festival of the Arts 2024, Te Whanganui a Tara / Wellington Harbour
Alchemy 2023-24, Poison Creek Sculpture Project Otago
UNESCO Geopark Kefalonia & Ithaca / 'We Are Nature' 2023 Festival, Kefalonia Greece
Personal Structures 2022, European Cultural Centre, Palazzo Bembo / Giardini Marinaressa, Venice Art Biennale 2022
Conversations on Shadow Architecture 2021-22 (Curator Ineke Dane), Metro Arts Brisbane / Dominik Mersch Gallery Sydney
Season 2021, Studio 125 SCAPE Public Art (Curator Emma Bugden), Christchurch
Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe 2021, Perth Australia
Sculpture Court Queen's Wharf, Aotearoa NZ Art Fair 2021
Alumx Prints 2020, The Wall (US), Vermont Studio Centre USA
Touch (Virtual Exhibition) 2020, WomanMade Gallery Chicago
Hello Again 2020, Scott Lawrie Gallery Auckland
Season 2020, Studio 125 SCAPE Public Art (Curator Emma Bugden), Christchurch
Summer Show 2020, The Vivian / Scott Lawrie Gallery, Matakana NZ
Open Studios 2019, The Wall, Vermont Studio Centre USA
Winter Show 2019, Studio 125 SCAPE Public Art, Christchurch
Love Lives Here 2019, COCA Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch
LIP(S) 2019, Silo Park (Curator Claire Ulenberg), Auckland
Expo Chicago 2018, International Sculpture Centre, Chicago
Small Sculpture 2018, SCAPE Public Art 2018, Arts Centre Christchurch
Time Space Existence 2018, Global Art Foundation & European Cultural Centre, Giardini Marinaressa, Venice Architecture Biennale 2018
30 Sculptors 2018, International Sculpture Centre, Artsy
A'18 Blueprint for Better Cities 2018, Native Tongue XR, American Institute of Architecture, Javits Centre, New York
Edge 2018 (Curator Dr Irene Barberis), Langford120 Melbourne
Small Sculpture 2017, Studio 125 SCAPE Public Art (Curator Healther Galbraith), Christchurch
Headland Sculpture on the Gulf 2017, Pavillion Gallery Waiheke Island
Opening Show 2017, Studio 125 SCAPE Public Art, Christchurch
Presence 2016 (Curator Heather Galbraith), The Kiss, SCAPE Public Art, Christchurch
Small Works, SCAPE Public Art 2016, Aroha, Christ's College Christchurch
National Small Sculpture Prize Exhibition 2016, Trinity, Waiheke Art Gallery
Sculpture by the Sea 2015 The Kiss Aarhus Denmark
Fifteen-Trajectories 2015 (Curator Wilma Tobacco), Langford120 Melbourne Australia
Headland' Sculpture on the Gulf 2015, Pavillion Gallery Waiheke Island
New Zealand Sculpture Onshore 2014 10th Biennial, x, (Curator Rob Garrett), Auckland
Chicago Sculpture International 2014, Ally Sloper, Lewis University Chicago
National Small Sculpture Prize Exhibition 2014, Kahukiwi, Waiheke Art Gallery
Fourteen-Trajectories 2014 (Curator Irene Barberis), Langford120, Melbourne
Shapeshifter' 2014, NZ International Arts Festival, Dowse Art Museum
Squaring Up - 100 Years After Malevich 2013 (Curator Wilma Tabacco), Langford120 Melbourne
In[box] 2013, Safe, ArtBox Gallery Christchurch
Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2013, x, Sydney
Sculpture Inside 2013, Multiple Choice, SxS Bondi Sydney
Parallax Art Fair New York 2013, Vanity Fair, The Prince George New York
16th International Open Juried Exhibition 2013, Ally Sloper, Woman Made Gallery Chicago
Off the Wall - Sculpture Invitational 2013, Chip, Waiheke Art Gallery
New Zealand Sculpture OnShore 2012, The Snake Charmer, Auckland NZ
ArtHouse 2012, Lean II, NZ Academy of Fine Arts
Women: An Exhibition 2012 (Curator Dr. Warren Feeney), Nappy Painting, NZ Academy of Fine Arts
National Small Sculpture Prize Exhibition 2012, I+I, Waiheke Art Gallery NZ
Summer: Sky Above Earth Below 2012 (Curator Andrew Clifford), Platform, Waikato Sculpture Trust
Sculpture in the Gardens 2011, Native Tongue, Auckland Botanic Gardens
Sculpture on the Peninsula 2011, Not I & II, Banks Peninsula
Wallace Art Awards 2011, Black Fringe, Pah Homestead Auckland / Dowse Art Museum
National Small Sculpture Prize 2011, Not I, Waiheke Art Gallery NZ
Morpeth Canaday Art Award 2011, White I. (Whakaari), Whakatane Art Gallery & Museum
New Zealand Sculpture Onshore 2010, Portia & Je Suis, Fort Takapuna Auckland
Spring Catalogue 2010, All Black, Nadene Milne Gallery Arrowtown
Walker & Hall 2D Art Award Exhibition 2010, Natural Selection, Waiheke Art Gallery
COCA Art Award Exhibition 2010, 13% Painting, Centre of Contemporary Art
Shapeshifter 2010, Portia & Babel, NZ International Arts Festival, Dowse Art Museum
Bouncy 2010, Blood Work, Sanderson Contemporary Art
Sculpture in the Park | E: Scape 2010 (Curator Rob Garrett), Cliffhanger, Waikato Sculpture Trust
Exhibition 2010, Babel, Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens
Headland Sculpture on the Gulf 2009, Half Glass, Waiheke Island
Sealink Small Sculpture Prize Exhibition 2009, Bush, Waiheke Art Gallery
NZ Painting & Printmaking Award Exhibition 2009, Silver Lining, Hamilton Gardens
Black Candy 2009, All Black, City Art Rooms, Auckland
COCA Art Award Exhibition 2009, High Country / Black Cloud, Centre Of Contemporary Art
Mesh 2009, Antoinette Godkin Gallery, Black Cloud & Bush, Auckland
National Drawing Award 2009, Present, Artspace / Physics Room / Enjoy Public Art Gallery
NZ Sculpture Onshore 2008, Mirror Image, North Shore City/Auckland
City Art Rooms – Bridge Art Fair 2008, Prickle, Berlin, Germany
Unlimited 2008, Prick, City Art Rooms, Auckland
COCA Art Award 2008, Six Days, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch
Reflecting Skin 2008, Cloud, City Art Rooms, Auckland
Off the Wall 2007, Canvas, Auckland Art Gallery
Sculpture in the Park 2007 (Curator: Carole Shepheard), Live Recording, Waikato Sculpture Trust
Wallace Art Awards Finalists 2007, Prick, Auckland Town Hall
Fine 2007 (Curator: Tamara Darragh), Muses, Sanderson Contemporary Art, Auckland
NZ Sculpture Onshore 2006, Grass Roots, North Shore City/Auckland
Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Award 2006, Lawn, Waikato Museum
New Artists 2006 Bath Street Gallery, Nappy Painting, Auckland
National Drawing Award 2006, Practice, ArtSpace Auckland; Physics Room, Christchurch
Skirt Collective 2003–04, Undercoat, Installation / Performance, Auckland
Activate – Contemporary NZ Artists 2004, End of Line, Centre of Contemporary Art
National Waikato Contemporary Art Award 2004, Untitled, Hamilton
National Drawing Award 2004, Handmade, ArtSpace, Auckland; Physics Room, Christchurch
Altered States 2004 (Curator Carole Shepheard), Tui-pie, Museum of Cultural Anxiety, Auckland
National Waikato Contemporary Art Award Exhibition 2004, In/Out, Hamilton
A4 Exchange 2003 (Curator Karin Sander), Foray, George Fraser Gallery, University of Auckland / Weisensee Art School, Berlin Germany
Congreve Odyssey House Auction 2003, Fake, Auckland
Winter at the ASA 2003, Fake, ASA Gallery, Auckland
Goldwater Art Award Exhibition 2003, Sacred Ground, Waiheke Island
Window Projects 2003, Eve n Eden, Eden Arts Festival, Auckland
Window Projects 2003, Remuera, Guardian Trust, University of Auckland
Marque 4 2002, ASA Gallery, Auckland
Artist Talks | panels
'AI²AR: New Dimensions in Sculpture: Crossing Borders', II International Scientific & Practical Conference 2025, UNESCO World Philosophy Day, Kherson National Technical University, Ukraine
'AI²AR – Ancestral Intelligence–AI–Augmented Reality' CODAsummit 2025 / D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington D.C.
Art in Dialogue, International Residency Exhibition Public Program, NARS Foundation New York 2025
'Habeas Corpus' NARS Foundation NYC 2025
'AI Equity Revolution' Te Puia Rotorua 2025
'Narcissus + Echo' Abstraxt Abstraxt Public Program, NorthArt Gallery Auckland NZ 2024
'Spatial Sculpture and Cognitive Capital' Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art NYC 2024
'HALO' Waitangi Treaty Grounds NZ 2024
'Philosophy of Harmony in Abstraction' First International Scientific & Practical Conference "European Future" 2024, Kherson National Technical University, Ukraine
'Don't Scroll Past' Public Art Panel, Aotearoa Art Fair 2024
'Alchemy & The Snake Charmer' Poison Creek Sculpture Project NZ 2024
'In Absentia' Ionion Center for the Arts & Culture, Kefalonia Greece 2023
'Virtual Monuments' CODAsummit 2022 / City of San Jose Cultural Affairs, San Jose USA
'UNITY in Miniature: Harmony' 2022, Palazzo Bembo European Cultural Centre Venice
'UNITY in XR: Native Tongue' 2022, Giardini Marinaressa European Cultural Centre, Venice
'Alter Ego' 2022, Kunstverein am Rosa Luxemburg Platzm, Berlin
'Conversations on Shadow Architecture' 2022, Public Program Artist Panel, Dominik Mersch, Sydney
'Creative Disruption' Gatfield Survey (Solo Exhibition) 2021, Scott Lawrie Gallery Auckland
'Inclusive Monuments Hikoi' 2021, Wellington Sculpture Trust / Global Women, Wellington
International Women's Day Interview 2021, KØN Museum Denmark
'The Snake Charmer' 2021, SCAPE Public Art Patrons, Aotearoa NZ Art Fair
'Creative Revolution' 2021, International CODAHorizons Panel
'Extended Reality in Practice' 2020, International CODASummit Virtual
'Zealandia – At Home' 2020, Government House Auckland
'Glass Ceiling' 2020, Art in Residence – SCAPE Public Art Christchurch
'Conceptual-Abstraction' 2019, Vermont Studio Centre USA
'Glass Ceiling (NZ Aotearoa)' 2019, Silo 6 Auckland
'Suffragette – A Model' 2019, Global Women / PwC Auckland
'Native Tongue: Art in Augmented Reality' 2018, Spark Foundation NZ
'Baroque Abstraction: A Romance between Conceptual Abstraction & Italian Baroque' 2018, European Cultural Centre, Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy
‘Creative Process Artist’s Panel’ Facilitator, 2017 Estuary Art Centre NZ
‘The Kiss in Context’ SCAPE Public Art 2016, Christchurch Art Gallery
‘Suffragettes’ 2016, Corner Window Gallery Auckland
‘Creative Process – Logic + Intuition’ 2015, Creative Mornings Aarhus Denmark
‘The Kiss’, Sculpture by the Sea 2015 Education Programme, Aarhus Denmark
‘Disruption: The Business of Art’, Global Women Breakthrough Leaders Forum 2014, Auckland
‘Disruptive Innovation & Creativity’, Global Women Hui/Conference 2014, Queenstown
‘Square Root’, at Squaring Up 2013, Langford120, Melbourne
‘On x’, Education Program, Sculpture by the Sea Bondi 2013, Sydney
‘Abstract Figure: Gill Gatfield’, 2013 International Sculpture Centre Symposium
‘Art for A Public Wall’, Artist's Panel 2011 NZ Sculpture OnShore, Auckland
‘Native Tongue’ 2011 Sculpture in the Gardens, Auckland Botanic Gardens
‘Performance Painting’ 2008 Blue Oyster Performance Art Series, Dunedin 2008
‘BeingMade’ 2007 University of Auckland Cont. Education Group, Auckland
‘Grass Roots’ 2006 Te Tuhi Art Theory Group, NZ Sculpture Onshore
‘Kaitiaki’ 2004, Public Lecture Series, Te Tuhi Art Gallery, Manukau
‘Fake’ 2003, Elam Masters Students, ASA Gallery, Auckland
‘Moving Mountains’ 2002, Public Lecture Series, Rotorua Museum of Art & History
Memberships | Associations
International Sculpture Centre, Member
Estuary Arts Centre Auckland, Patron 2014–2026
Global Women, Arts Sector Lead
Coralus (SheEO) Women Entrepreneurs, Activator
NZ Roll of Barristers & Solicitors 1987-
human rights | arts
Convenor, AI Equity Revolution, Global Women 2025–
Discussion Panel, Live from Ukraine, Nov. 2022 University of Auckland
Author, The Art of Change, Global Women Mosaic Dec. 2022
Author, Inclusive Monuments Femisphere Vol.4 2021
International Women's Day Interview, KØN Museum Denmark 2021
Co-Lead, UN Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SheEO Racial Justice Working Group Research 2020-2021
Panel member, Arts Sector Aotearoa: Lifting the Lid on Gender Bias, Global Women & Te Taumata Toi Aotearoa 2020
Advisory Board member, Platforms for Good 2020-2023
Advisor, NZLS Review of Sexual Harassment & Bullying 2019
Chair, 'Women in Law Summit' Key Media Auckland 2018
Author, Without Prejudice - Same Issue : New Cover (Hardback: Gatfield Studio 2016; E-book: Thompson Reuters 2018)
Author, Without Prejudice: Women in the Law (Brooker’s 1996, 550pp.; Brooker’s Heritage Title 2011)
Research Scholar, New Zealand Law Foundation 1994, 1995
Founder & Director, Equity Works Ltd. 1993–98
Law Reform Division Senior Advisor, New Zealand Law Society 1992–93
Policy & Law Reform Senior Advisor, Ministry of Women 1990–91
Solicitor, Brookfields Auckland 1987–89 (Litigation, Commercial, Tax)
Barrister & Solicitor, High Court of New Zealand 1987 (Practising Certificate 1987–1998)
studio
Gatfield Studio Auckland NZ
studio@gatfield.co.nz
www.gillgatfield.com