Mike O’Kane last exhibited at the Eastern Southland Gallery 2012, with the On Assignment photographic series featuring play-worn matchbox toys in life-sized modern scenes.

For this exhibition O’Kane has created two new series of works. The first has model trains pretending to be dynamic and authentic, while the second shows a somewhat darker view; playing with more or less fighting machines.  The role of play takes centre stage in this work, and utilising Photoshop software has enabled him to create a playground of altered time and scale.  

 

Mike O’Kane has a fine arts degree from Otago Polytechnic School of Art, where he majored in sculpture in 1997, with photography as his sub-major.  For several years after graduating, he lectured part-time at the Otago Polytechnic School of Art, and School of Design.