Many artists are known for exploring ideas of beauty, glamour and the psychological in their work but few do it in the dramatic and perhaps contradictory style of Auckland-based artist Yvonne Todd. Using the same techniques found in commercial studio photoshoots, she creates portraits of men, women, and household objects that are beautiful yet at the same time unsettling.  The images are strangely compelling - you just can’t look away.

Yvonne studied photography at Unitec and graduated from the Elam School of Fine Arts at Auckland University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her final assignment submission won the Walters Prize in 2002, catapulting her to national recognition. Since then, her work has been in numerous exhibitions including the Edinburgh Art Festival (2014) the Sydney Biennale (2010), and the Busan Biennale (2006). Other group exhibitions include Unnerved at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Queensland Art Gallery (2010), 3.Fotofestival, Mannheim (2009), High Tide at Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw and Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, (2005) and Mixed-up Childhood at Auckland Art Gallery, (2005).

Yvonne is coming to Spark to share about the recent large survey exhibition of her work, Creamy Psychology (City Gallery, Wellington, 2015).  Yvonne’s insights into her practice are a must-hear for all creatives.