Born in Auckland in 1982, Krystie Wade
attended Unitec, studying for a Bachelor of Design (majoring in
Painting) under the tutelage of Julian Dashper, Richard Fahey,
Saskia Leek and Julian Hooper. Such was Wade's prowess that in 2003
she was chosen to represent Unitec as an artist-in-residence for a
semester at Bremen University in Germany. Her subsequent travels
before completing her degree in 2004 consolidated both her artistic
vision and her technical proficiency.
Wade's paintings revolve around
utilising core painterly concerns to control and effect an emotive
outcome in her work. Influenced as much by Kantian philosophical
notions of the ability of compositional elements to engage the mind
in imaginative
'aesthetic play', as by the evocation of the Romantic notion of
a 'pleasure garden' (a retreat for the senses from the rigour of
everyday life), Wade combines quirky tones with insistent
brushstroke in a collagist manner to draw the viewer into an
imaginative and hyperbolic space.
Wade has participated in a number of group shows and has
recently held her second solo show. She was a finalist in the 2002
Mazda Art Awards and gained the Mt Eden Young Artist's Award in
2004. In 2005 she was nominated as a finalist in the Norsewear Art
Awards and has recently been chosen as a mentor for the Artists
Alliance.