Ann Shelton (MFA, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) was born in Timaru, New Zealand. In 2011, in a forest, Shelton's most recent work was shown in London, Berlin, Melbourne, and Auckland. Shelton is recognised as one of New Zealand's leading photographic artists and in 2010 was the overall winner of the CoCA Anthony Harper Contemporary Art Award. In 2010 she also edited the publication Sightseeing: an exhibition and a publication of postcards that explore the representation of place in contemporary German and New Zealand photography - this group show includes Shelton's work among the 8 German and 8 New Zealand artists featured. In 2009 she exhibited the series Public Places in Images Recalled (Bilder auf Abruf), Germany's largest photographic biennale curated by Tobias Berger and Esther Ruelfs. Shelton's work is regularly seen in New Zealand and around the world in countries as diverse as China, Lithuania, Italy, England, Poland, Germany, Australia and Canada.
Recent group shows include a way of calling at Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne curated by Melissa Keys, Unpacking My Library at Te Tuhi Center for the Arts Auckland curated by Stephen Cleland, Collect/Project at the Adam Art Gallery, curated by Tina Barton and Earth Matters at the Auckland City Art Gallery, curated by Natasha Conland. In 2006 Shelton's major project a library to scale was awarded the Trust Waikato Contemporary Art Award, and in 2007 the project toured New Zealand and Australia. In 2004, Shelton was the Govett-Brewster New Zealand Artist in Residence, during which time she produced the solo museum show a kind of sleep and completed once more from the street, originally presented at Starkwhite Auckland.
Her works are featured in numerous public and private collections in New Zealand and overseas, including the Govett-Brewster, The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and the Chartwell Collection. Shelton has had many artist books, catalogues, and books published, including Redeye (Rim Books, New Zealand/Dewi Lewis, England, 1997). Shelton lectures in Fine Art and Photography at Massey University in Wellington and is currently Chair of Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington's artist-run space. She is represented by Starkwhite and Paul McNamara Gallery.