Toi Pōneke Arts Centre is proud to announce multidisciplinary artist Chevron Hassett (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Pakeha), as the recipient of our 2019 Visual Arts Residency.

The artist receives a studio space at Toi Pōneke for three months, a stipend, mentoring and support towards an exhibition at Toi Pōneke Gallery. Chevron will be in residence from early July and presenting his exhibition at Toi Pōneke Gallery in November. Chevron’s project will be an investigation of his home suburb of Naenae, one of the oldest state housing communities in Aotearoa, extending his ongoing interest in cultural identity, whakapapa and urbanisation.

Working with readymade sculpture, moving image and photography, Chevron will take inspiration from his upbringing by researching material and objects common to urban environments. He plans to reform the gallery space into an environment reflective of Naenae, and introduce the mana of Naenae into the space. 

This is the second time that Toi Pōneke has run the residency, artist Johanna Mechen was the inaugural recipient in 2018.

Toi Pōneke Arts Centre currently run three other residency programmes to support Wellington based arts practitioners across a variety of mediums. A Sound Art Residency in partnership with Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, a Dance Residency, and the Write Room Wellington Screenwriter’s Residency in collaboration with Vicky Pope and Rob Sarkies.