Originally from Ireland and now based in Wellington, Patrick Barry joins Bay of Plenty Open Studios 2025 as our Guest Artist. While the festival usually showcases artists living and working within the Bay of Plenty, Patrick’s inclusion as Guest Artist celebrates his international background, extensive public work across New Zealand, and his current commissions in the region. His presence offers visitors a broader perspective on contemporary sculpture while maintaining a connection to the Bay.
Sculpting is the physical embodiment of Patrick Barry’s thought processes—a fusion of inner energy and worldview, expressed through the enduring medium of stone.
Patrick’s journey with stone and drawing began unexpectedly at age fifteen, working in a graveyard. Selected for his drawing skills, he was tasked with documenting seventeenth-century Celtic headstones, meticulously recording both their visual and historical details. This formative experience sparked a lifelong commitment to the sculptural arts. He went on to train in restoration work while living in France, returning to Ireland to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from the Crawford College of Art & Design in Cork, Ireland, where he specialized in sculpture.
While stone remains Patrick’s primary medium, he has expanded his practice in recent years to include mould-making and bronze casting. His work can be found in prominent public collections, throughout Ireland and New Zealand, including those of Christchurch City Council, the Botanic Gardens in Dublin, the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), University College Dublin, and Cork City’s public collection. He is also widely represented in private collections throughout New Zealand.
Patrick’s work encompasses a wide range of public and private commissions, reflecting his versatility and the broad appeal of his sculptural voice. His public commissions include large-scale works for civic spaces, botanical gardens, universities, and cultural institutions, while his private commissions span bespoke pieces created for individual collectors, gardens, and homes across New Zealand and internationally. Each commission is approached with a deep sensitivity to site, narrative, and material, ensuring the final work resonates both aesthetically and meaningfully with its environment and audience.
Patrick is currently working on several private commissions in the Bay of Plenty region, continuing his deeply personal and contemplative engagement with form, material, and memory.
