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.
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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 State Library of Victoria.
Mason cites as a major influence the artist Ron Mueck, with whom his work shares the Hyperrealist style that emerged from photorealism, 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. ISBN 9780958665971
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
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
Anne Stonehouse, So Far… Eight Artists / Eight Stories, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2014. ISBN 9780958665971
Sim Luttin & Melissa Petty, Wild Lands, exhibition catalogue, Linden New Art, Melbourne, 2016
Collections
Chris Mason's work is represented in National Gallery of Australia, State Library of Victoria, Stuart Purves Collection and private collections.