Simon Kaan

Ōtepoti Dunedin

Simon Kaan is of Ngāi Tahu, Chinese and European descent (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Irakehu, Kāti Mako ki Wairewa, Guangzau, Satu Village). Kaan’s distinctive compositions incorporate elements of his mixed heritage, and his artworks are now a defined part of the New Zealand art canon. The surfaces of Kaan’s artworks are divided into enigmatic bands which give rhythm depicting stories of land, sea and sky. Delicately created symbols in ink feature throughout the soft focused compositions. The distinctive Kai Tahu boat or waka motif has for some time featured in Kaan’s repertoire. “The waka forms are myself and also people around me – people who have passed away as well as those who are present.” - Kaan

Simon Kaan completed a four-year honours degree at the Dunedin School of Art and since then has exhibited regularly throughout New Zealand. Kaan was the first member of his family to visit China in 2003, since his grandfather arrived in Port Chalmers in 1896. In 2004, with the support of Creative New Zealand, Kaan revisited Beijing to undertake the Red Gate Gallery Residency – an international programme for artists to live and create work in China. Recently, Kaan has been included in Warwick Brown’s book ‘Seen this Century: 100 Contemporary New Zealand Artists – A Collector’s Guide’ published by Random House. Kaan also has an artwork featured on the facade of the Ebb Hotel in Dunedin which was completed in 2021.