Proudly hailing from the small Eastern Bay of Plenty community of Kawerau, New Zealand, Owen Dippie grew up surrounded by individuals with strong cultural identities. This naturally drove his chosen subject matter from a young age, transpiring in his highly-praised portrait works.
Owen has been painting his large-scale realist portraiture on the streets of New Zealand and New York for over a decade. During Owen's 2015 trip to New York, he held his first solo exhibition in the United States, and was honoured to have one of his works named as Best Mural 2015 by The Huffington Post, along with producing his first work in downtown Los Angeles. Owen and Erin his wife and manager have owned a successful Mount Maunganui art gallery followed by their gallery on the iconic K'RD, Auckland City. Owen then embarked on extensive overseas travel with the majority based in New York where he completed many large scale murals including his iconic “Art of storytelling” Biggie and Hitchcock mural and collaborative work with Al Diaz of SAMO honouring the late Jean Michel Basquiat. Owen has most recently been working extensively on his studio practice, developing a new body of work while continuing to create mural work.
Currently represented by NINETEEN
"Exploring the universal language of art. He endeavours to leave his mark on the world, rather than just exist in it."
© Owen Dippie 2024