Member Event: Artist Marcus Tatton – Return to Aotearoa - Free Opening Event: Friday 15 August, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Description

Sponsored by Morrinsville Gallery 
Join us on Friday, 15 August at 5 PM to celebrate Marcus Tatton’s stunning new sculpture show—an evening of art, conversation, and connection.
 
Marcus Tatton – Return to Aotearoa
12 August – 7 September
Morrinsville Gallery
 
Internationally acclaimed sculptor Marcus Tatton returns to his King Country roots with a breath-taking exhibition that bridges lands, stories, and generations.

Tatton was a wild King Country lad when he first enrolled in Art School in Dunedin in the mid-1980s. After two years, he set his sights on a Fine Arts course in Tasmania, where he studied from 1987 to 1990. Now, four decades later, he returns to Aotearoa with a rich legacy of sculptural practice and deep connections to the whenua.

Currently the Artist in Residence at Waitakaruru Sculpture Park near Tauwhare, Marcus is crafting a body of work that explores rural kaitiakitanga across both Tasmanian and Aotearoa landscapes. His sculptures draw on the shared ancestry of tree species—Nothofagus, Phyllocladus, and Dacrydium—relatives of our native beech, manoao, tanekaha, and rimu. These forms echo ancient Gondwanan ties and speak to the enduring relationship between land and people.

“When I first arrived in Tasmania, they were teaching the qualities of their rare rainforest timbers. I thought, ‘No, Aotearoa’s native woods are the remarkable ones.’ But as I worked with both, I realised they’re deeply connected—equally remarkable.”

The connections run deeper than timber. Tatton’s great-grandfather was a ship’s doctor and dentist who travelled to Tasmania before settling in Nelson in the 1850s. Generations later, Marcus’s father Hone Tatton purchased bushland in Ongarue—land that Marcus now stewards and carves upon.
This exhibition is a celebration of those layered connections: across oceans, through whakapapa, and within the grain of the wood itself. Each sculpture invites us to reflect on the stories embedded in the land, the materials, and the hands that shape them.

Come and experience these powerful works—crafted with reverence, rooted in history, and resonant with meaning.


About the Morrinsville Gallery
The Morrinsville Art Gallery Charitable Trust is proud to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2025 as the heart of community art in the Matamata-Piako District. We are dedicated to creating a welcoming and vibrant space for both locals and visitors in Morrinsville and throughout the beautiful Waikato region.
As a non-profit organization, we rely entirely on community support. We have one full-time director, one part-time curator and gallery assistant, and the help of over 40 volunteers, many of whom have been with us for more than 10 years.
By supporting local and national artists and creators through our diverse program of exhibitions and events, we aim to inspire and engage our community. Our efforts would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of artists, donors, volunteers, and individuals like you. Thank you for being an integral part of our family and our story.
Join us on this artistic journey and explore exciting opportunities for collaboration.