Maria O'Toole
Maria O’Toole, How loud is too loud? No.12, 2018.
Work above shown as part of Not standing still, a group exhibition curated by 2018 Blue Oyster and Caselberg Trust Summer Resident, Raewyn Martyn.
Maria O'Toole is a Wellington based Artist and Senior Drawing Tutor at CoCA, Massey University. Maria is a current confirmed PhD Candidate.
Maria has exhibited at Toi Poneke gallery and the Samuel Marsden residency solo exhibition at the New Zealand Portrait gallery in 2015. She has been a Parkin Prize finalist in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, and a Wellington Regional Art Award finalist in 2016. Maria’s work has also been exhibited in France where she was selected for a three-month international artist in residence programme in 2015.
Maria’s drawing practice engages with a contemporary attitude in drawing that explores resilience, risk and empathy through environmental projects. She creates abstracted drawings influenced by sensory experiences of space and observations of the rhythms within them. she then translates her fragmented thoughts and experiences along with collected scientific information into visual maps and scores.
Maria’s PhD research focuses on global environmental issues with an interest in how they unfold at a local level.
A close up from Maria’s PhD research
Academic biography
PhD Candidate, 2016 - 2020
Master of Fine arts with Distinction, 2014
Post-graduate Diploma in Fine arts, 2012
Bachelor of Design (honours), 2001