Richard Shortland Cooper
Richard Shortland Cooper (Doctor of Fine Arts) has exhibited widely, completing major public commissions in New Zealand and abroad, including Auckland's largest public sculpture He Taonga Hiranga Whakanui Whanau (A Gift to Portray the Importance of Family). At the forefront of Cooper's work is the celebration of whanau and community.
Exhibition 2008
Artist's Statement:
He aha te mea nui o teenei Ao? / Maku e kii atu. / He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
What is the most important thing in the world? I tell you, it is people, it is people, it is people.
Exhibition 2006
Artist's Statement:
The sculpture is titled Oranga Ora which means well being and better living. It is a balance of positive and negative.