Objectspace’s 2026 Courtyard Plinth commission has been awarded to Chevron Hassett, who will deliver an installation that considers the experience of urban Māori and expressions of cultural identity in the built environment of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. His project for Objectspace's Courtyard Plinth will be launched in March 2026.

Chevron Hassett (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu) is an artist whose practice engages with sculpture, photography, and public installation.

His work responds to the impact of urbanisation on Māori communities, informed by his own upbringing and community and grounded in the visual and spatial language of Māori design. Working with reclaimed materials and architectural references, Hassett reconfigures forms to speak to ideas of shelter, identity, and collective memory.

His installations often function as living spaces of exchange, where mātauranga Māori and the urban experience intersect. Committed to community engagement, Hassett works across galleries and public spaces to reflect the relationships, histories, and futures of the people and places he is connected to. His practice centres whanaungatanga (kinship), drawing strength from shared experience and cultural continuity.

Hassett holds a Bachelor of Design with Honours from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University and a diploma in Indigenous Art, specialising in Whakairo Māori. He has exhibited in Aotearoa and Australia, including at Artspace Aotearoa, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, The Dowse Art Museum, and Artspace Sydney. In 2017 he received a Ngā Manu Pīrere Award from Creative New Zealand, and in 2022 a Springboard Award from The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi.

Objectspace's annual Courtyard Plinth Commission is made possible with support from the Jan Warburton Charitable Trust. Our deep gratitude to the Trust, and to all those who submitted applications for this opportunity.