Back to Artists

Sean Crawford

Sean Crawford is a successful New Zealand sculptor. Originally Wellington based but now living in the rural Wairarapa, his works are found, and sought after nationally and overseas.

Crawford uses a range of materials - from laser-cut steel to taxidermy, and is known for a multi-layered approach to his art which includes a strong affinity with narrative.

Although he initially trained as a plumber, overseas travel rekindled his passion for art and design. On his return to New Zealand, he graduated with an honours degree in Design in 2003, and has been a full-time sculptor ever since.

Crawford's inspirations are as varied as they are evolving. Techniques he learned from his boat building father interweave with creativity that frequently highlights environmental and social messages. History plays a role with some of Crawford’s works questioning the contradictions of New Zealand's colonial past, whilst also being influenced by the Gothic storyteller Edgar Allen Poe and the paintings of Bill Hammond.

Highlights of Crawford's career to date include the 2015 commission 'Waiting for Hammond,' a two-metre-tall huia bird sculpture set on a headland overlooking the Irish Sea. Outside the New Zealand embassy in Washington D.C. sits another commissioned piece. This work is titled ‘The Cloak of Remembrance’ and is an embracing cloak made of laser cut, powder coated red poppies. It is a sign that his ideas, although largely home-grown, are relevant on the world stage.