EDUCATION
2002 − 2004 Master of Fine Arts, Honours. Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland.
2000 − 2001 Post-Graduate Diploma in Art History. Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka.
1988 – 1991 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture major). Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024
Duty of Care. Curated by Stephanie Berlangieri, Robert Leonard and Angela Goddard. IMA/ Institute of Modern Art in partnership with Griffith University Art Museum, Brisbane, Australia. 29 June – 22 September.
Disguise the Limit: John Yau’s Collaborations. University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington KY, USA. 9 January – 1 June. Touring to the Schneider Museum of Art in Ashland, Oregon and the Hanes Art Gallery at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
2023
Disruptive Order: Abstraction for The Suter’s collection IV. Curated by Julie Catchpole. The Suter Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū, Nelson. 4 November – 24 March 2024.
2022
Energy Work: Kathy Barry/ Sarah Smuts-Kennedy. Curated by Tina Barton. Te Patāka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. 13 July – 2 October.
2021
About Time. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 5 – 31 October.
Flat Earthers. Curated by Raewyn Martyn. The Engine Room, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington. 13 – 27 July.
2020
Spaced out. Bowen Galleries Window. 24 July- 6 August.
Toi Pōneke Residents Exhibition, Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, Wellington, 6-16 June.
2019
The 28th Annual Wallace Art Awards. The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead. Auckland. 3 September – 10 November.
Parkin Drawing Prize. New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington. 6 August – 8 September.
Erasing code worlds. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 1 April – 5 May.
2017
Midway: a Collectif Génération collaboration by John Yau and Kathy Barry. The Chartwell Gallery, Objectspace, Auckland. 30 September – 26 November.
Transmission. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 20 February – 11 March.
On Paper: Drawings from the Wallace Arts Trust. The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead. 16 January – 26 February.
2016
INCERTEZA VIVA (Live Uncertainty) 32nd Bienal de São Paulo. Curated by Jochen Volz, Gabi Ngcobo, Júlia Rebouças, Lars Bang Larsen and Sofía Olascoaga. With assistance by Fundação Bienal de São Paulo and Creative New Zealand, Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa. Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo. 7 September – 11 December.
2015
Space Echo. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 28 September – 18 October.
Believe Not Every Spirit, But Try the Spirits. Curated by Lars Bang Larsen and Marco Pasi. With Georgiana Houghton, Yuri Ancarani, Jan Bäcklund, Belle Bassin, Vincent Ceraudo, Mikala Dwyer, Max Ernst, Madame Favre, Chiara Fumai, Diena Georgetti, Madge Gill, Tamar Guimarães & Kasper Akhøj, Susan Hiller, Susan Jacobs, Jess Johnson, Kristine Kemp, Joachim Koester, David Lamelas, Dane Mitchell, Matt Mullican, Olivia Plender, Lea Porsager, Laurent Schmid, Georgina Starr and Dorothea Tanning. Monash University Museum of Art / MUMA, Melbourne. 22 April – 27 June.
2014
Homeworld: Kathy Barry and Isobel Thom. Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland. 6 December – 4 February 2015.
2013
Tickets to the Paper World. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 11 March – 6 April.
National Contemporary Art Award. Waikato Museum, Hamilton. 16 August – 10 November.
2012
Summer Show. Antoinette Godkin Gallery, Auckland. December – February 2013.
Tickets to the Paper World, McCahon House Post Residency Exhibition. Corbans Estate Art Centre (CEAC), Waitākere City. 16 November – 20 January 2013.
Group Show: Alexandra Kennedy, David Morrison, Esther Leigh, Geoffrey Heath, Kathy Barry, Lianne Edwards, Miranda Parkes, Monique Jansen. Antoinette Godkin Gallery, Auckland. 4 May – 9 June.
Quattro. Monique Jansen, Kathy Barry, Alexandra Kennedy and Sarah Munro. Antoinette Godkin Gallery, Auckland. 22 February – 22 March.
2011
Auckland Art Fair. The Cloud, Auckland Waterfront. 4 – 7 August. Billboard series, Victoria Street West, Auckland.
Paper, Gold, Silver. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 16 March – 2 April.
Ensolite. Bowen Galleries Window, Wellington.
Folded Room/ Paths Crossing. RM Gallery, Artist Project Space, Auckland. 10 – 26 March.
2010
Invisible Ink, A Drawing Installation. Bowen Galleries Window, Wellington.
Porchlight, Recent Paintings. Bowen Galleries, Wellington. 10 – 28 May.
CoCA Anthony Harper Award for Contemporary Art. CoCA Centre of Contemporary Art Toi Moroki, Christchurch.
2009
Happy the World so Made, Kathy Barry and Sarah Munro. Snowhite Gallery, UNITEC School of Design, Auckland. 30 March – 17 April.
2008
Fold-up: Works on Paper. Room 103 Gallery, Artist Project Space, Auckland.
The Pretty Show. Group show with Julien Dyne, Alexandra Kennedy, Marie Lelievre, Maurice Lye, Annie Mackenzie, Mirabel Oliver and Justine Walker. High Street Project, Artist Project Space, Christchurch. 3 – 18 December.
National Drawing Award. Artspace Aotearoa, Auckland. 29 November – 20 December. The Physics Room, Christchurch. 21 January – 7 February 2009.
The 17th Annual Wallace Art Awards (Jury Award Winner). The Aotea Centre, Auckland. The New Dowse, Lower Hutt. 11 October – 3 February 2009.
2006
The Drawing Show. The Engine Room, Whiti o Rehua School of Art, College of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington.
Norsewear Art Award. Hawke’s Bay Exhibition Centre, Hastings. 2 April – 14 May.
2004
Irma’s Throat, A Paper Installation. Masters Graduation Exhibition. Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland.
2002
Botanica. Originated by Te Patāka Toi Adam Art Gallery, curated by Zara Stanhope. The Gus Fisher Gallery, The Kenneth Myers Centre, The University of Auckland. 13 July – 31 August.
2001
Botanica. Curated by Zara Stanhope. With Nancy Adams, Catherine Bagnall, Ross Blackner, Nigel Brown, Lillian Budd, Audrey Eagle, Graham Fletcher, Tim Galloway, Simryn Gill, Niki Hastings-McFall, Christine Hellyar, J. Bruce Irwin, Megan Jenkinson, Maureen Lander, Christopher Langton, Colin McCahon, T.A McCormack, Tim Maguire, Bill Malcolm, Karl Maughan, Anne Noble, B. Parker, Sydney Parkinson, Tania Patterson, Peter Peryer, Ann Robinson, Willa Rogers, Michael Shepherd, Robyn Stacey, Margaret Stones, Kelly Thompson, Keith West, Boyd Webb and Sue Williams. Te Patāka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. 11 August – 7 October.
2000
Surprise, A Christmas Exhibition. Curated by Rebecca Wilson, Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi. 14 December – 14 January 2001.
Practicing Beauty. Catherine Bagnall, Kathy Barry, Emma Febvre-Richards and Maddie Leach. Michael Hirschfeld Gallery, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi. 28 July – 27 August.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Leonard, Robert. “Within You Without You”, Here & Now, No. 17 / Late Summer 2023, pp.42-46.
Barton, Christina (ed). Energy Work: Kathy Barry/ Sarah Smuts-Kennedy. Essays by Robyn Maree Pickens, Jennifer Higgie, Marcus Moore, Natasha Conland, Adam Greener. Published by Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka. Exhibition photography by Ted Whitaker. Design by Alice Bonifant, 2023.
McAvoy Emil. “Kathy Barry: Dimensional Ecologies”, Artnews New Zealand, Winter 2022, pp.68-73.
Moore, Marcus. “Looking Beyond the Ferris Wheel, Search Engine for her Future Self”. Flat Earthers: Unpleasant Truths/ Comfortable Lies, Exhibition print publication & E-Publication, http://flatearthers.space. Edited by Raewyn Martyn and John Lake, design by Kerry Ann Lee, 2021.
Neupane, Maya. “Kathy Barry’s Erasing Code Worlds”. Salient, Issue 07, Volume 82, April 2019, p.37.
Darragh, Judy and Imogen Taylor (eds). Femisphere, Edition #2. 2019.
Hurrell, John. “Collaborating Artists’ Books”, Eyecontact. 18 October 2017. http://eyecontactsite.com.
Yau, John, “Visual Magic” and Gregory O’Brien, “Air space and wind harp – Kathy Barry’s drawings for Midway”. Midway: a Collectif Génération collaboration by John Yau & Kathy Barry. Exhibition publication. Objectspace, Auckland, 2017.
Jassaud, Gervais. “Midway. John Yau and Kathy Barry”. Gervais Jassaud – Artists books publisher as auteur. Web. www.gervaisjassaud.net. 2017.
Feeney, Warren. “Auckland gallery Objectspace setting its sights on expansion”. Stuff.co.nz. Web. 10.03. 2017.
Volz, Jochen, Júlia Rebouças, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Gabi Ngcobo, Denise Ferreira da Silva, Lars Bang Larsen and Elizabeth Povinelli. “INCERTEZA VIVA/Live Uncertainty”. Exhibition catalogue. Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil. 2016.
Kryger, Mathias. “With the Eyes Deep in the Mud”. Kunstkritikk. Web. 15.09.2016.
Pasi, Marco. “The Hidden Hand”, Tate Etc. magazine. ipad App. Issue 37, Summer 2016.
Gardiner, Sue. “In Search of the Otherworldly”. Artnews New Zealand, Autumn 2016, pp.100-103.
Bang Larsen, Lars. “New Forms of Agency”. Spike Art Quarterly, Vienna/Berlin, Issue 46 Winter 2015, pp. 50-57.
Bang Larsen, Lars and Marco Pasi. “Believe Not Every Spirit, But Try the Spirits”. Exhibition catalogue. Monash University Museum of Art/ MUMA, Melbourne, 2015.
Hanfling, Edward. “Exhibitions/Auckland. Homeworld: Kathy Barry and Isobel Thom”, Art New Zealand, Number 153/ Autumn 2015, p.37.
Hurrell, John. “Thom and Barry at Te Uru”. EyeContact, 23 January 2015. http://eyecontactsite.com.
Bryant, Jan. “Homeworld”. Exhibition catalogue. Design by Clouds Publishing. 2014.
Gardiner, Sue. “Let’s talk about abstraction”. Artnews New Zealand, Winter, 2012, pp.88-93.
Hurrell, John. “The Edges of Geometry”. EyeContact, 2012. http://eyecontactsite.com.
McNamara, TJ. “From the sublime to the meticulous”. New Zealand Herald, 4.03. 2012.
Sanderson, Pippa. “Drawn to Paint: Materiality and transcendence in the work of Kathy Barry”. Art New Zealand, Number 137, Autumn 2011, pp.66-67.
Amery, Mark. “Furiously Competing Dissolving Grids”. EyeContact, 2010. http://eyecontactsite.com.
Hurrell, John. “Unitec Show”. EyeContact, 2009. http://eyecontactartforum.blogspot.co.nz
Pickens, Robyn. “Snap to grid”. Happy the World so Made. Exhibition Catalogue. Snowhite Gallery, UNITEC School of Design. 2009.
Barnett, Rod, et al. “Botanica”. Exhibition catalogue. Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, 2001.
PUBLICATION AND LECTURES
Barry, Kathy, “Lonely Planet Feature, Kathy Barry on The Emma Kunz Centre, Wurenlos, Switzerland”. Artnews New Zealand, Autumn 2022, p.55.
“Talking Drawing: Kathy Barry, Ben Cauchi, Matt Ellwood”. Te Patāka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, April 2016. Panel discussion moderated by Stephen Cleland.
Barry, Kathy and Dr Jan Bryant. Monash University Museum of Art / MUMA, Melbourne, April 2015. Floor talk.
“Homeworld”. Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery, Auckland, January 2015. Floor talk.
Phillips, Emilia (ed). “A Collaborative Interview on Collaborations”. 32 Poems. Part 2, Web, 28 June 2013.
“Bridges/ Kathy Barry & Jocelyn Casey-Whiteman”. Magazine cover, gatefold and practitioner showcase. Threaded Magazine, Edition XIII, 2012.
Barry, Kathy. “Tickets to the Paper World”. Corbans Estate Art Center, November 2012. Floor talk.
Barry, Kathy. “Bridget Riley: Science and her reception in the sixties”. Bridget Riley: paintings and preparatory works 1961–2004. City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2004. Public lecture.
Barry, Kathy. “On Thin Ice”. Gallery Six: The Ice Rink and the Lilac Ship. Christina Barton (ed.). Published by the Waikato Museum of Art & Science with assistance from Creative NZ, Arts council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, 2003.
Barry, Kathy. Botanica. Te Patāka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, 2001. Floor talk.
RESIDENCIES AND AWARDS
The C Art Trust Award. 2023/ 2024.
Visual Arts Residency, Vermont Studio Center. Vermont, United States of America. June – August 2012.
17th Artist-in-Residence, McCahon House Artists’ Residency. French Bay, Auckland, February – May 2012.
ARTS GRANTS
Creative NZ Arts council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa. Arts Grant. Participation in 32nd Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil. 2016.
Creative NZ Arts council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa. Arts Board Quick Response Grant. Vermont Studio Center Residency, USA. 2011.
COLLECTIONS
Ngā Puhipuhi o Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka Art Collection.
The Koopman Collection, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands.
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Heritage Collections Auckland Libraries.
The University of Auckland Art Collection.
Wellington City Council Art Collection.
The Collection of The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Arts House Trust Collection.
The Suter Collection, The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū.
TEACHING
Kathy Barry has taught contextual studies, art history and theory, and studio-based papers at the Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland; UNITEC School of Visual Arts Design, Auckland; and Whiti o Rehua School of Creative Arts, Massey University, Wellington.