Denis O'Connor

Denis O'Connor (born 1947) is a New Zealand ceramicist, sculptor and writer who has exhibited both in New Zealand and internationally.

Education O'Connor studied at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design and the University of Otago.

Career O'Connor's early work was made using white porcelain and the iron-rich clay which he found near his studio on Waiheke Island. In 1985 he was awarded the Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at Otago University, and during his tenure he switched to using limestone. More recently he has incorporated found objects and has started to use black slate, which has introduced a more minimalist aesthetic.

Aotea Centre, Auckland Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Museum Te Papa Whakahiku Auckland Regional Authority Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney City Gallery, Wellington Connells Bay Sculpture Park Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt Dunedin Public Art Gallery Frances Hodgkins Fellowship Collection, University of Otago, Dunedin Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth Hocken Library, University of Otago, Dunedin Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Wellington Ministry of Justice, High Court, Auckland Waikato Museum of Art and History, Hamilton Wairarapa Arts Foundation, Masterton Wellington City Council Wellington Sculpture Trust, Wellington Botanic Garden

Publications O'Connor has produced several written works to accompany his major exhibitions:

Songs of the gulf 1984 The Gorse King 1992 Big aitche little aitche 2000