Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Pakeha and Scottish) has an obsession with glitter that has been hard to shake, causing an explosion of colour in New Zealand and Internationally since 2001. Combining Māori and retro designs with glitter, diamond dust, sequins and foil, his motifs celebrate his Scottish and Māori heritage in a unique (and very shiny) way.

Reuben’s distinctive approach to glitter as an art medium has created many opportunities for his works to shine, including at the Prague Biennale in 2005, in an exhibition at the University of Cambridge in England, at the BCA Gallery in Rarotonga to name a few and in several galleries throughout New Zealand and Australia. He has also been on residencies in South Korea, Greece and New York.

With this impressive artistic resume of national and international exhibitions and residencies under his belt, Reuben is now delving into the world of public art with several large commissioned works completed, not without their own controversies.

Reuben will be speaking at Spark this year about his move from the gallery to large public art works, the ideas and practices behind the art he creates, and what difficulties can arise when an art work is released into public space.