Chris Mason (born 1976) is an Australian artist. Mason resides in Melbourne. His work is held in several public collections, including those of the National Gallery of Australia and the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

Career, themes and style

Both Mason's lack of formal training and autism have identified him as one of the key figures within the Outsider Art category in Australia. This categorisation is confirmed by his repeated inclusion in Outsider Art exhibitions and fairs, both in Australia and in the USA. However, in recent years his work has also achieved success in more conventional art institutions and has been acquired for major collections at the National Gallery of Australia and the

. Mason cites as a major influence the artist Ron Mueck, with whom his work shares the

Hyperrealist Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as we ...

style that emerged from

photorealism Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be ...

, and whose subject matter is derived from reinterpretations of photographic imagery. His signature depictions of voluptuous women are sourced from images collected from the Internet and various publications; in his search for reference material he aims for women whose dimensions result in the figures being "almost as tall as they are wide," dimensions which he views as "perfect" and "archetypal." In recent years Mason has developed a tendency towards smaller-scale ceramic pieces and has expressed a strong interest in pursuing taxidermy in his work, which APA Studio Manager James McDonald describes as "a logical next step." Mason has exhibited at Gertrude Contemporary, c3 Contemporary Art Space and Linden New Art. He has also held a solo exhibition at Sydney's prestigious Darren Knight Gallery in 2014.

Publications

Anne Stonehouse, ''So Far… Eight Artists / Eight Stories'', Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2014. Sim Luttin & Melissa Petty, ''Wild Lands'', exhibition catalogue, Linden New Art, Melbourne, 2016

Solo exhibitions

''Chris Mason Solo'', Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney, 2014 ''Michelle,'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2007 ''The Chris Mason Show'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2002

Selected group exhibitions

''Clay: it’s a matter of substance'', Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2016 ''Wild Lands'', Linden New Art, St Kilda, Melbourne, 2016 ''Manningham Victorian Ceramic Award 2015,'' Manningham Art Gallery, 2015 ''Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award,'' Deakin University Melbourne, 2015 ''That’s Funny'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2015 ''Melbourne Art Fair 2014,'' Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 2000 - 2014 ''Renegades: Outsider Art'', Moree Plains Gallery, national touring exhibition, 2013 - ''Into the Vault and Out of the Box'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2014 ''Turning the Page'', Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 2014 ''Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award'', Manningham Art Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 ''Repeat. Restate… Reiterate,'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 ''Outsiderism'' Fleisher Ollman Gallery, Philapelphia, USA, 2013 ''World In My Eyes'', C3 Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 ''In the making'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2012 ''This Sensual World'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2011 ''Erotica,'' James Makin Gallery, Collingwood, Melbourne, 2011 ''Portrait Exchange,'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2010 ''Pacifica'', Gallery Impaire, Paris, France, 2010 ''The Agents,'' Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne, 2010 ''Off the Edge:'' Ceramics Triennale, Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Sydney ''Reinvention: Creativity and Self Identity'', Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Melbourne ''Location Location Location!'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne ''Pearls of Arts Project Australia: Stuart Purves Collection'', national touring exhibition, 2007 - 2009 ''Wild Things'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2008 ull ''In Everyone’s Company'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2006 ''Leo Cussen with Selected Artists'', Australian Galleries, Collingwood, 2005 ''South of the Border'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2005 ''Sydney Art on Paper Fair'', Byron Kennedy Hall, Sydney, 2005 ''Hitch a Ride'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2005 ''Outsider Art Fair'', New York, United States. Hosted by the Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, 2005 ''Home Sweet Home: Works from the Peter Fay Collection'', National Gallery of Australia Travelling exhibition (Australia and New Zealand), 2004 – 2005 ''2nd Annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art'', Chicago, United States, hosted by the ''Phyllis Kind Gallery'', New York, 2004 ''Visual Disobedience,'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2004 ''Printed Matter'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2004 ''From vacuum cleaning to Plumpers Dance Party'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2002 ''Five Artists From Arts Project Australia'', Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Sydney, 2000 ''Six Artists from Arts Project Australia'', Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Sydney, 1999 ''Profile,'' Manningham City Gallery, Melbourne, 1999 ''Transport'', Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 1998 ''The Autistic Eye,'' Vic Health Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, 1998 ''Off the Wall,'' Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 1998

Awards

''Manningham Victorian Ceramic Award 2015,'' Manningham Art Gallery, Finalist ''2015 Deakin University Small Sculpture Award'', Deakin University, Finalist People’s Choice Award, Moving Galleries, ''Observerance'' exhibition, Melbourne, 2012

Publications

Collections

Chris Mason's work is represented in National Gallery of Australia,

, Stuart Purves Collection and private collections.

References

External links

* http://www.artsproject.org.au/artworks/408/Chris%20Mason {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Chris Australian artists Hyperreality Outsider artists Photorealism Living people 1976 births Place of birth missing (living people)