Virginia King

Virginia King

Virginia King was born in Kawakawa, Northland. She attended Wellington Polytechnic, then Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland and, while living in London in the 1970s, Chelsea Art School, Hammersmith. Sculpture became her preferred art form in the early 1980s.

Over the past four decades, King has created a portfolio of large-scale, site-specific works for public locations and private collectors. By magnifying and abstracting the scale of natural life forms, she draws attention to the beauty and vulnerability of our environment. Her vessel forms have evolved from symbols of exploration, migration, and nurturing to become symbols of life and survival.

An Antarctic Artist Fellowship in 1999 was a pivotal experience. A visit to the spectacular Lake Vanda strengthened her commitment to the microsphere, marine protozoa, and foraminifera. Enduring themes in her practice include ecology and survival and the delicate balance between sustainability and progress. King continues to create works in her Auckland and Waiheke Island studios.