John Pule, "Hina," 2023. Oil varnish ink and enamel on canvas; 39 3/4 x 39 3/4 in (101 x 101 cm)
John Pule, "Takeleaga," 2023. Oil varnish ink and enamel on canvas; 59 13/16 x 59 13/16 in (152 x 152 cm)
John Pule, "Deep Niue Evening," 2023. Oil and varnish and ink on canvas; 59 13/16 x 59 13/16 in (152 x 152 cm)
John Pule (b. 1962, Liku, Niue) is an artist and novelist from the small island of Niue, situated in the South Pacific Ocean. At the age of two, Pule and his family moved to New Zealand, a country which has significantly influenced Pule’s work. One of the Pacific’s most significant artists, Pule’s work has been widely celebrated at the forefront of New Zealand contemporary art since the 1990s. Continually returning to Niue as an adult, Pule finds a wealth of inspiration in the history, religiosity, and nature of his home country. Intertwining traditional art-making practices with his modern design sensibility, his work is a colorful and personal approach to world-building. His work has been displayed extensively, at the Queensland Art Gallery and the Asia-Pacific Triennial among others. In 2011, Pule was given a major survey show at the Auckland Art Gallery. He has received an Arts Foundation Laureate Award and has been artist-in-residence at the Cultural Museum and the Romerapotheke Art Residency in Basel, Switzerland. His work is held in major public collections including the Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa Tongarewa, The National Gallery of Victoria and Queensland Art Gallery. He currently lives and works in Niue.
Completed from above in a process he likens to swimming, the New Zealand painter conjures an idyllic, spontaneous, and slightly Seussian canopy of trees reverberating with the sights and sounds near his seaside studio.
John Pule in conversation with Dr. Maia Nuku, John Gow, and Adam Lindemann
Artforum has named Venus Over Manhattan’s upcoming exhibition John Pule a "Must See."
New York may never sleep, but summer feels like nap time. At least in the art world. Culture shakes off the doldrums following Labor Day, roaring into fall, its busiest time of year.
A poet, printmaker, and painter celebrated across Oceania, 62-year-old Niuean artist John Pule is poised to make his U.S. debut this fall at Venus Over Manhattan.
