Hamish Coleman

born 1989, Hakatere Ashburton

Pākehā

Hamish Coleman is best known for his shape-shifting paintings, made using iridescent pigments. His work has been shown in Australia and China, and throughout Aotearoa. In 2021, Ashburton Art Gallery hosted a significant solo exhibition, his first at a public art institution. In 2023, he relocated to Ōtepoti, after a decade living and working in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara.

'The oil paints I use are made in the studio from interference pigments—that is, pigments that interfere with the light that bounces off them. I prefer to make my own paints because of the limited range of ready-to-use products that yield the effects I desire.'