Judy Darragh

Judy Darragh (b. Christchurch, New Zealand) is renowned for her brightly coloured sculptural assemblages, video, collage, photography and poster art. Her practice came to prominence during 1980s, when her trademark eclectic iconoclasm and wit was seen as a fleet-footed critical response to the rampant materialism and free-market reforms that characterised this period. In 2004 the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa mounted the major survey exhibition Judy Darragh: So … you made it?  which was accompanied by a major catalogue published by Te Papa Press. Darragh lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, where she has played a significant role in the development of Artspace Aotearoa and artist-run spaces such as Teststrip, and Cuckoo, and has acted as mentor for a wide range of artists. She is currently a co-editor of Femisphere, a publication supporting women’s art practices in Aotearoa. Darragh continues to exhibit extensively throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and her works are held in numerous public collections, including Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington), Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery (New Plymouth). Recent exhibitions include Foil, Montalvo Arts Centre, San Francisco, USA (2017), Girls on Hope, The Physics Room, Christchurch (2017), and the major sculptural commission, Limbo, North Atrium Sculpture Commission, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki (2015-2018).