Joe Sheehan b. 1976

Joe Sheehan’s practice is dedicated to drawing contemporary views on the relevance and position of stone carving in today's world. Initially working with his father (also a master carver in jade), Joe has worked in carving studios in New Zealand and around the world.

Sheehan studied contemporary jewellery at Unitec Institute of Technology under the legendary tutor Pauline Bern and has since become known for his meticulously rendered sculptures from jade, greenstone, greywacke, and marble, among other stones. His sculptures are often inspired by the vernacular of everyday life such as light bulbs, paint tubes, keys and sunglasses. However Sheehan’s evolving art practice also encompasses a much wider perspective, observing the commercialisation of the jade industry, exploring the space between craft and art, subverting meaning and materiality, and examining social and cultural histories. 

As art critic Mark Amery has written, “Sheehan extends the idea of how an object holds time, and stores a history of stories and activity. [He] is playful with stone as part of his daily life - a pop art kind of lightness and inflation - but also respectful of its innate strength. Much like a craftsperson must be of their more valued tools. He weights works with acknowledgement of the materials past, provenance and accumulated cultural worth. The resulting work is both personal and public in resonance.”

Sheehan's work is held in prestigious public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and the Chartwell Collection at the Auckland Art Gallery. In November 2006 Joe was one of the inaugural recipients of the NZ Arts Foundation’s New Generation Awards. In 2008 Joe was invited to represent New Zealand in the 28th Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil. In 2010 he received an Antarctica Fellowship and in 2012 the survey exhibition ‘Joe Sheehan: Other Stories’ was presented at Pataka Art + Museum in Porirua, Wellington.