Shann Whitaker
MANGAWHAI
Shann is a visual artist always looking at ways to portray and share ideas through contemporary art. It all started at such an early age and at no stage did he ever think of doing anything else but paint, draw, design and create. Over time his career has taken many paths and this maybe due to living in so many different countries.
He has enjoyed the freedom of meandering across the world and taking in the wonderful cultures and splendor that this world has to offer. He created a NZ inspired art and gifts company. Shann has created exhibitions in Denmark and artworks for businesses in London. He has painted murals in Greece and Australia. He designed and ran a New Zealand inspired art and design store and recently owned a gallery and created artwork for hotels and resorts out of Vietnam. This experience and joy has lead Shann back to New Zealand and has inspired him to create my new series of work exploring some of the themes and asking himself where I actually belong on this crazy planet.
His current work which he likes to call ‘Creative Earth’ pulls in techniques, ideas and inspiration from the many places he has visited while having one foot always planted firmly in New Zealand. It is abstract art, textural and tactile, art with meaning, inspired by nature, all tied together with some worldly string.
