EARLY HISTORY: WAITAKERE RANGES AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND

1948. Born Epsom, Auckland, one of twins, of Australian parents Jack Carlyle Hunter and Joan Maunsell nee Atthill who emigrated from Sydney in 1947. Jack Hunter's family came to Australia from Arbroath in Scotland 1887 to work on the Aluminium Smelting mines in NSW.

Joan Maunsell Atthill's family were from Norwich. Her Grandfather Capt A Atthill, Norfolk Volunteers, formed the Returned Servicemen's Association after the Boer War.

STUDENT DAYS

1965-71. Assistant Preparator at Auckland Institute and Museum.

1966-69. Attended Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland Taught by Garth Tapper and Colin McCahon. Student Union President 1969. Graduated Diploma of Fine Arts, Honours in Painting, Elam School of Fine Arts.

1969 Travel Award to Australia from the University of Otago, Dunedin.

1970 In Australia, lived in Kings Cross, Sydney and in a commune in the Northern Territory near Cairns with the film director Janine Dickins. Paintings were of a realistic/surrealistic style.

1971. On return to New Zealand obtained a Diploma of Teaching (Art and Art History) from Auckland Secondary Teachers' College. Sailed to England on the ship 'The Oriana' through the Panama Canal with the writer Louise Rennison.

1970s: PHOTOGRAPHY AND SUPER 8 FILM: Hoxton, London and Soho New York

1972. In London enrolled at the City and Guilds School of Art and Design as a Post Graduate student. Worked as a signwriter in the Kings Road, Chelsea.

1972-75 Became a member of The Women's Workshop of the Artists Union. Art practice focused on collective strategies and feminist politics. Other members of the WWAA were the artists Mary Kelly, Margaret Harrison and Kay Hunt.

1973. Obtained a studio in Tabernacle Street, Hoxton, London, through the SPACE organisation, initiated by artists such as Bridget Riley and Peter Sedgely.

Trained as a assistant animator at Halas and Batchelor Film Company as well as making own super-8 films, Anatomy of a Friendship, (now in the Film Archive of NZ).  

1974. Designed exhibition panels for Inner London Education Authority.
Visited New York and Spain. 'The Object Series' photo-realist panel of oil paintings begun.

1975. With Robin Klassnick (now of Matt's Gallery) co-ordinated 'Space Open Studios' with the participation of two hundred artists who opened their Studios in London's East End to the public for the first time.

Lived in Bermondsy, London with Roger Shaw, prop maker on the film Star Wars and The Alien and artists who became the Bermondsy Artist's Group. Worked freelance for commercial film companies such as Dragon Animation in Hoxton. ('The Busby adverts for Telecom', 'Listerene Dragon' etc.)

Painting The Morning After The Night before Series and Narrative Sequences using photography as film -like sequences.

In Curator Group for selecting exhibitions with the Alliance's Gallery Collective. 'Approaches to Fear Series' experimenting with sequential photography using fetishistic symbols to oppose the subterfuges of advertising.

1976-77. Member of The Women's Free Arts Alliance.

Curated 'Female Imagery in Women's Art Practice': public lecture at Air Gallery, London and SoHo Gallery, New York. Travelled cross-country from New York to Los Angeles to write an essay on American women artists. Met feminist artists May Stevens, Nancy Spero and critic Lucy Lippard.

1978 Joined Association of Cinematography, Television and Allied Technicians. 'Photography as an Art Form': public lecture given at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and at the Hayward Gallery, London. Interviewed on video by James Scott and Nina Kellgren, shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.

Taught at Epsom School of Art and worked as a colour animator at Richard Williams Animation on the 'Flora Ads', Soho Square London.

Began using colour photocopier in the photographic sequences.

1979 'Women in Media and Communication': public lecture at London College of Printing and 'Body Politic': at the Hayward Gallery, London.

Worked as an animation camera checker on 'The Snowman', by Raymond Briggs, at the TVC Film Company, Central London    

1980s: XEROXES AND PAINTING SERIES, Hoxton and Hackney London

1980 Returned to New Zealand for two months. Stayed on great Barrier Island with the artist Kate Hill editing journal of 1965 and reconsidering direction of work.

1981 Began painting over photographic originals before photocopying as in The Young Polynesian considers Cultural Imperialism before she goes to the Disco.

Experimental paintings started using acrylic paint on canvas formulated device of central image surrounded by smaller images representing the unconscious. Painting influenced by naive painters (James Dixon and Alfred Wallis) and art of schizophrenic patients.

Began researching psychology and psychoanalysis and the relationship to Greek Myth as an understanding of the hegonmy of Patriarchy in Western Thought. 'Male Myths and Other Nightmares Series started

Major Award, Greater London Arts Association. Grant, Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand.

Held Experimental Public Workshop with the Liverpool poet Adrian Henri at the Serpentine Gallery, London.

1982 Exhibited at 4th Biennale of Sydney and lectured at Outreach and at RKS Art in Auckland, Rotorua City Art Gallery and Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney.

'The Artist Looking for Her Muse' lithographs with Sky Editions.

Contributed to 'Post Modernism' forum at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.

1983 Grant, Greater London Arts Council, printmaker in residence, Lowick House, Cumbria. Local animal imagery explored in drypoints.

Spoke at A.I.R. Gallery, (the New York women artist's collective) and at the Women in Literature Festival Polytechnic of North London.

Began Conflicts of the Psyche series of paintings.

Worked at Bill Melendes Animation in Carnaby Street, London, on the Peanuts Television series for the USA.

1984 Contributed to Liverpool Artists' Workshop Lecture Programme. Lectured at the Women and the Arts Conference, Third Eye Centre, Glasgow and Young Contemporaries Conference, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.

Appeared in film 'Lives of Artists' by Monica Morawietz, Sue Aron and Rowena Rowling.

Led artists' delegation to Turkish Embassy in London asking for the release of prisoner of conscience, Turkish painter Orhan Taylan.

Began 'Passionate Instincts' series of large paintings. Lecture tour around Irish Art Schools (Belfast, Dublin, Cork).

1985 'Women and Art': public lecture at Mary Ward Centre, London.

Worked on the 'Memory Series', influenced by Melanie Klein's theories of separation.

Spoke at Outreach, Auckland and National Art Gallery, New Zealand.

Visited Tahiti to work on ideas related to the destruction of the natural world ('Mururoa Series') an extension of the Passionate Instincts Series.

Appeared in Gervaise Soeurouge's video 'Studio 5', which accompanied the exhibition 'Passion and Power' in New York.

Interviewed in Sexuality, Image and Identity' in the Channel 4 television series, 'The State of the Art'.

Taught at the Slade School of Art, London.

1986 Married Baxter Mitchell, Scottish Rugby Player from Dundee who owned The Falcon Theatre and Jazz Bar in Camden, London.

'Why Paint?' public lecture at Institute of Contemporary Arts, London.

Visiting Assistant Professor in Photography and Painting, University of Houston, Texas. Visited Merida, Yucatan. Mayan architecture and mythology influenced the work completed in Houston which was shown in the Totah Gallery in New York.

1987 Travelled: Spain, Tangiers, France, Italy, Monte Carlo, Belgium.

Taught at St Martins and Chelsea Schools of Art, London.

Worked on 'Landscapes of the Heart', a series of paintings of imaginary landscapes in literature.

1988 Grant, Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council of New Zealand. Painted 'The Hawaiiki Series' in Auckland, influenced by Polynesian creation mythology. Lectured at Auckland City Art Gallery.

1989 'The Horizon: Reality or Metaphor? ': lecture delivered at the Association of Art Historians Fifteenth Annual Conference at the Tate Gallery, London.

'Joan Miro: Paintings and Drawings 1929-41': public lecture at the Whitechapel Gallery, London Lectured at Auckland City Art Gallery.

Started using studio in Beaurainville, Pas de Calais, France.

Started the 'Camden Town Series', using animal chimera to represent the underworld of London.

Joined the Todd Gallery in West London, director Jenny Todd.

1990 Lectured at Darlington, St Albans and Kingston Colleges of Art. Taught painting, life drawing and art theory at the Westminster City Institute.
For the Birbeck College, London University, directed course 'Artists Talking'.

Returned to new Zealand and bought a house in Grey Lynn, Auckland, as a studio. Painting the series 'The Consumption of Culture', the adaptation of New Zealand Pakeha (European) Society to the Pacific area.

Interviewed in London and Auckland for the film by Shirley Horrocks 'Pleasures and Dangers' (Camera :Leon Narbey) for the New Zealand Film Commission.

1991 Painted two murals, 'Delirium Tremens' 1 and 11, for 'The Camden Falcon' which was now a famous London venue for introducing independent popular music bands such as Suede, Blur, Elastica, Corner Shop etc.

1992 Public lecture 'On Painting and Printmaking', The London Print Workshop.

Used top floor of Falcon as studio and gallery as Baxter Mitchell had bought the freehold and changed the access.

Visited Athens and the Greek Islands with the Lawyer Julia Cahill.
Paintings on the Greek myths and started series of etchings at the London Print Workshop on the same theme, A Muse on Myth.

1993 Director of 'The Artists Forum' presenting illustrated lectures before a public debate on the relationship between Art, Sexuality and Money at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Worked at Animation City Productions on 'Prince Cinders'.

On return to new Zealand edited experimental Super 8 films with Vivianne Smith: 'Anatomy of a Friendship' 1973, 'Approaches to Fear' 1978 and 'Domestic Warfare' 1979, for presentation to the National Film Archive.

Lectured at the Auckland Society of Arts, Victoria University and the Elam School of Fine Arts.

Experimental 'Ego Series',and 'New Zealand Series' oil paintings relating to the theories of Anton Ehrenzweig ('The Hidden Order of Art' ).

1994 Painted series 'The Spirits of London' about pollution in the city, stylistically influenced by Fragonard and Monet.

Accompanied the exhibition 'Fantasy' (sponsored by the British Council and the Cultural Foundation of the U.A.E), to the United Arab Emirates.
Lectured in the American School, Women's Technological College, the Cultural Centre and the Women's College of Technology in Ras Al Khaimah. Public lecture 'Cultural Difference' at the Women's Cultural Centre, Sharjah.

1995 Consultant for a cultural exchange between the Republic of China and Britain from the Interior with curator Helen Suimee Keelan and the artist Jackie Moreau with help from Kingston University, British Council and the Republic of China and others.

Visited the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and Brussels.

Awarded medal at the Sharjah Biennale.

The Camden Falcon is sold to Matrix Recording Studios.

Visited Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France.

BBC radio 4 interview, Kaleidoscope feature, 'Salome's Dance'.

Started series 'Demons of the Heart', paintings, etchings and ink drawings.

1996 Visited N.Z. for exhibitions, working in acrylic on card. Interview with Elizabeth Alley, National Radio N. Z. Lecture 'Artists On the Internet' at Artists Association in Auckland.

Visited Australia and China .

Resolving work on paper with ink and acrylic.

Baxter Mitchell buys the Public House 'The Lilliput Hall' in Bermondsey (near London Bridge). Top floor used as gallery and studio.

1997 Working on 'Projection series', influenced by the theory of projection in Cognitive Behavioral Theory. Ink Drawings such as 'Theoretical Dreams'.

1998 Visited N.Z. for exhibitions. Eastern Polytechnic Symposium, Napier Public Lecture 'New work', Arts Station, Auckland, N.Z. Interview with Mark Amery. March 1998, National Radio, N. Z.

Visited Sydney Australia and Pretoria, Cape Town and Knysna in South Africa.

Working in Beaurainville, France, on acrylic paintings influenced by Romanesque and Celtic church art.

Workshop and Public Lecture given at Aberystwyth Art Centre, Wales, 'From the Interior', reviewed on BBC World Service, CNE Television, and Southern Television, January 1998.

Writing on photography and theory published by Woman Artist's Library magazine MAKE, London.

1999 Hospital. Wrote essays.

Taught at Portsmouth and Aberdeen (Grays School of Art)
Returned to 'Drinkers' series drawings.

Studied computer systems design and software design, Microtec, London for six months.

2000 Awarded NVQs in Software Design Level 2 and Systems Design Level 3.

Diagnosed short - term memory dyslexic and attended memory course by Gary Fitzgibbons, Fitzgibbons Psychologists, London.

Started 'Phantasy Series' of oil paintings and republished photographic work from the 1970's for Collectors.

Video interview with Darcy Lange during exhibition in Auckland.

Accepted by London Graphics Academy to study Computer Graphics. Started painting on Computer circuit boards.

2001 Made interactive movies in Flash Macromedia Computer Application. Awarded Btec NVQ Graphic Design Level 2.Continued Mother board series.

2002 .Performance at Il Bottaccio on Artemisa Gentileschi, Realising Gentileschi, first private showing of Talisman Series.

Made artist's book 'Sweet Dissolution'

Invited to join the Bridgeman Library to license large paintings.

Continued Motherboard series.

2003 Visited New Zealand, worked at Studio Ceramics, painting on stoneware, exhibited as 'Myth and Culture', Corbans Art Centre.Joined Whitespace Gallery in Auckland.

Continued motherboard series back in France.

2004. Visited New Zealand Worked at Studio Ceramics on Vases and jugs for future exhibitions.

In studio in France started Series of landscapes and worked on new Aller Primeur oil painting technique. Overlander series of New Zealand landscapes from photographs observed out of the Overlander Train from Auckland to Wellington. Continued Motherboard series.

2005. Visited Scotland for the Glasgow Art Fair showing with the Whitespace gallery of New Zealand..

Performance at the Brunei Gallery painting Nuclear Demon 2.

Joined the Mystical Feminist Gallery No Mans Land in Banff, Scotland.

Continued Motherboard series.

Visited New Zealand and attended Auckland Art Fair in New Zealand and exhibited with Whitespace Gallery in a solo exhibition of painting in oils, watercolours and painted stoneware.

Produced with Elizabeth Steiner, Artist's Book Bind/unbind.

Sold family home at 10 Rangiwai Road, Titirangi, Auckland, and moved artworks into secure storage.

2006. Researched photographic and film works from the 1970s for show at The Norwich Gallery later in the year curated by Lynda Morris. Norwich University digitalised photography collection. Artist's book published by Norwich Gallery NSAD.

Artist's book Painting small Landscapes / notes for a new artist by Alexis Hunter.

2007. Visited New Zealand to teach at the Wanganui Summer School. Printed first edition of the above artist's book.. Exhibition at the Whitespace Gallery feminist photographic work. Sell to National Gallery of New Zealand buy two major photographic sequences the Object series and Approach to Fear: Pain - destruction of cause. Interview Ed on National Radio. Interviewed by Virginia Were, editor, in Art Review New Zealand.

Visited Wack Art and the Feminist Revolution at the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles. Public Talk in Gallery and interview on NSB TV by Cary Berglund. The painting The Object series 1974-5 was in this show.

The Norwich show Alexis Hunter/ Radical Feminism of the 1970s Travelled to the Bunkier Sztuki Galleries in Cracow Poland. Public Talk God the Father. Intervened on Radio by 'The Bat'. Cracow TV News interview.

2008. Talk given during the Aggression exhibition curated by Marlina Sevova, Winterthur Museum. Switzerland.

Working in French studio on Gaia's Revenge oil pantings.

Visited Germany, Cologne Art Fair with Karma International.

Visited Wales for No Such Thing as Society Exhibition.

2009. Visited Milton Sound in New Zealand and arranged to exhibit major paintings in Whitespace Gallery. Worked at Julia Witcombe Cahill's house in St Mary's bay, Auckland. Also arranged artwork Gaia's Revenge to be used in Nuclear Free Mural.

Visited New Zealand again in July with sister Linley Hunter Torres from Moron de la Frontera, Spain, on family matters and to attend exhibtion above.

2010. Working on new series of paintings, French landscapes, influenced by Van Gogh, and also a series of works on Milford Sound.

Signed with Richard Saltoun Gallery London for vintage feminist photographic works

2011. Showing at Art Fairs in London and New York with the Richard Saltoun Gallery.

Austrian Verbund collection purchases major feminist works 'Identity crisis' 1974 'Voyeurism' 1973 and Approach to fear Masculinisation from society exorcise 1976.

• Selected CV
• Public Collections
• One Person Exhibitions
• Group Exhibitions
  
• bibliography: books and magazines in the United kingdom and Europe
• Bibliography: books and magazines in New Zealand and Australia
• Bibliography: books and magazines in the USA
• Bibliography: Newspapers and internet