Frances Hansen was born in New Zealand in 1962 and later spent
13 years as an Australian resident, completing a Bachelor of Visual
Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Professional Art Studies from the
City Art Institute in Sydney before gaining a Diploma of Education
from the University of Sydney in 1990. Returning to Auckland
at the beginning of 1993, Hansen gained a Masters in Fine Arts (1st
Class Honours) at Auckland University's Elam School of Fine Arts
and was awarded the Fowlds Memorial Prize as the most distinguished
student in the faculty in 1994.
Hansen's painting is afloat with elements of recognisable
imagery, juxtaposed in a manner that hints at a particular reading
of her work. In her 2006 series Split Level, Hansen
combined abstract and figurative elements to reference domestic
interiors,
interspersing the flat, often neutral expanses of interior space
with detailed imagery that pinpointed the domestic heritage of NZ
culture.
Since her return to New Zealand to take up a position as
Programme Leader for Drawing and Senior Lecturer in Painting at the
Auckland University School of Visual Arts in Manukau, Hansen has
exhibited regularly in both group and solo shows in New Zealand,
Australia and Canada. She was a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards
in 2001 & 2002 and her works are held in several public and
private collections in New Zealand and Australia, including the
James Wallace Collection, the New South Wales College of Fine Arts
Drawing Collection and the University of Auckland collection.