Jonathan Brown was born in Glen Innes, Auckland in 1971. He
studied for a Bachelor of Art & Design (majoring in
printmaking) at Auckland University of Technology and completed his
work with a highly successful graduation show. As a result, he was
awarded a Postgraduate Fellowship at Auckland University in 1995.
In 2004 he received a first class Honours in Visual Arts and went
on to complete a Masters in Visual Art programme at the School of
Art and Design, Auckland University of Technology.
Brown has exhibited throughout New Zealand and was a founding
member of the artist collective Indicator, an artist-run
project/studio based in Auckland since 1994. He currently runs the
print-making workshops at Auckland University and also assists with
curating and exhibition set up at the St Paul Street Gallery.
Brown's work reflects both the techniques and influences of his
design and printmaking background. Through the use of multiple
types of media and the juxtaposition of various stylised forms
derived from digital, design or pop culture imagery, he creates
work that is conspicuously sharp, clean and modern: abstract yet
informal.
He has a large following amongst the design conscious and his
work has been extensively featured in magazines as diverse as 'Home
and Entertaining', Pavement and NBR. A recent finalist in the Mazda
Art Awards, Waikato Art Awards and the James Wallace Trust Awards,
Brown's work has been captivating audiences in solo and group shows
in Auckland and Shanghai.