Artist: Jacqueline Fraser, born 1956.
Whereabouts: Living in Paris; moving to New York shortly.
Nominated for: Invisible, conceived for Artes Mundi award exhibition, National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff, 2004.
Says the jury: "Fraser uses glamorous textiles to clothe a line-up of wraith-like female figures, combining these with pithy epithets that sting us about
our fascination for fashion in a world of inequality and grief."
Has it been a rewarding experience to be nominated for the Walters?: It's a great privilege ... I knew Gordon Walters and, despite the New Zealand attitude to art and artists, he was dignified and a very inspiring artist.
What is the work we will see?: The work was made for the Artes Mundi exhibition in Cardiff in January 2004. I was one of 10 international artists chosen for the Artes Mundi Prize. We are all working internationally and have many years of exhibiting in major exhibitions throughout the world, particularly the Venice Biennale. New Zealand's presence in the Venice Biennale is important and must be recognised as a courageous attempt to be equal in the world of contemporary art.
You have said you wouldn't exhibit in New Zealand again because criticism you received had sapped your confidence. Do you feel more positive now?: I'll exhibit in New Zealand from time to time but my future is New York and Europe. I sell work in New Zealand to a strong core of sophisticated collectors. But the real enthusiasm for my work lies in New York. I live entirely from the market so I go to Basel Art Fair each year and the Armory in New York, with Roslyn Oxley Gallery from Sydney. The international collectors buy my work there. But New Zealand is my home so I'll continue to live there periodically.
Herald Feature: The Walters Prize
