Kate Wells

Kate Wells is a textile artist based in the South Island. Primarily known as a meticulous tapestry weaver, she also creates paintings and drawings that are then rendered as textiles, and has collaborated with Dilana Rugs on numerous occasions to produce large carpets.

Born in Foxton, she gained a Diploma of Textile Design from the Wellington Polytechnic in the early 1980s, and was subsequently employed there as a tutor over the following decade.

In 1986 she received a QEII Arts Council grant to travel to Europe where she studied early and contemporary tapestries. In 1988 Wells developed a major exhibition, ‘Fish Out of Water’, that toured New Zealand. That year she was also invited to lecture at an international tapestry symposium in Melbourne, and spent time at the Victorian Tapestry Workshop.

Wells takes inspiration from her surroundings in Aotearoa and the wider Pacific, with common themes including the landscape, the ocean, light, memory, and emotion. She often incorporates symbols such as hieroglyphics, text, and map elements into her work, alongside figures and everyday objects. For her, ‘in tapestry one is free to design expressively (and) one of the aspects of tapestry weaving that excites me is the combination of spontaneity and preciseness.’

Her work is held in public and private collections including Te Manawa Museum & Gallery, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu, and the Auckland Museum.

See also:

• Kate Wells [Dilana Rugs]
• Wells, Kate [Find NZ Artists database]