Sacha Lees (born 1977) is a New Zealand artist whose

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

oil paintings explore the entanglements of identity, power, and body anxiety within womanhood. Informed by

feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or Philosophy, philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's Gender role, social roles, experiences, intere ...

, her work uses her own body as both a site of resistance and a symbol of societal control. Her work is characterised by a fusion of classical techniques and modern sensibilities, often drawing inspiration from

Baroque art The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (in ...

to examine contemporary issues.In 2020 she was awarded the

Adam Portraiture Award The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata hosts the biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it ca ...

, New Zealand's premier portrait prize.

Training and career

Lees was born in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

and grew up in

Kumara Kumara may refer to: Places * Kumara (Mali), a province * Kumara, New Zealand, a town * Kumara (New Zealand electorate), a Parliamentary electorate Other uses * Kumara Illangasinghe, an Anglican bishop in Sri Lanka * Kumara (surname) * The Fo ...

, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Her early training in art, figure drawing and visual communication took place in Christchurch at Hagley Community College and

Christchurch Polytechnic Ara Institute of Canterbury, often simply referred to as Ara, is an institute of technology in Canterbury, New Zealand. It was formed in 2016 from the merger of Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) and Aoraki Polytechnic. A ...

. Between 1997 and 2004 she worked at Weta Workshop in Wellington as a creature designer and illustrator, model maker, sculptor and airbrush artist on

Sir Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

's ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy and designed some of the commercial merchandise for the productions. Her hands (in make-up) also 'acted' the part of Gollum's hands in a scene in ''

The Fellowship of the Ring ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' is the first of three volumes of the epic novel ''The Lord of the Rings'' by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien; it is followed by ''The Two Towers'' and ''The Return of the King''. The action takes place in th ...

'' where Gollum is tortured. Lees spent a year studying

old master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

art techniques in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. On her return to New Zealand, Lees applied the skills acquired in Italy to the development of her art through a series of mainly private portraiture and fantastic art commissions. In December 2010 Lees was included in the exhibition ''White Cloud Worlds'' at the

Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 2 ...

, and the book of the same title published in 2011. The exhibition and book were a showcase of fantasy and

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

art by New Zealand artists, curated by Paul Tobin and Kate Jorgensen. Lees subsequently featured in the two follow-up volumes of ''White Cloud Worlds'' and associated exhibitions in Wellington and Upper Hutt between 2012 and 2017. In 2025, Lees was awarded a Master of Fine Arts degree (1st class) from

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in Wellington. Her thesis, titled ''Profane Baroque and a Woman’s Experience'', examines enduring gender inequities and the role of women in art, drawing from feminist theory and the works of artists like Jenny Saville and Jacqueline Fahey.

Portrait of King Charles III

In 2025, Lees was commissioned by The Northern Club in Auckland to create a portrait of

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

. The painting presents a modern and relatable depiction of the monarch, focusing on his character rather than traditional regalia. This commission reflects Lees' evolving practice and her engagement with contemporary portraiture.

Adam Portraiture Award

Lees has been a finalist in the

three times. In 2012 she entered with a portrait of New Zealand celebrity chef Peter Gordon. In 2020, she won the Adam Portraiture Award with her self-portrait entitled ''Sometimes an Outline Coloured In''. The judges described Lees as “ruthless in her self-scrutiny”. The work was noted for its psychological intensity and formal innovation; one curator observed that Lees “expands on the depiction of the artist at work as she seemingly fills in her own image before our eyes,” highlighting her exploration of the unfinished as a conceptual tool. In 2022 she was Highly Commended and won the People's Choice award with ''See me'', a portrait of her daughter.

Commercial art

Lees has been commissioned several times by

New Zealand Post NZ Post (), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing most postal services in New Zealand. The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommunications servi ...

to design special commemorative editions of

stamps Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...

and

coins A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

. She has designed two separate editions of stamps featuring ''The Lord of the Rings'', the first in 2002-03, and the second in 2021 marking the 20th anniversary of the release of ''The Fellowship of the Ring.'' Alongside the 2021 stamps, Lees also designed sets of ''Lord of the Rings'' commemorative silver coins. The following year, Lees was again commissioned by New Zealand Post to design five commemorative gold and silver coins for the

Platinum Jubilee A platinum jubilee is a celebration held to mark an anniversary. Among Monarchy, monarchies, it usually refers to a 70th anniversary. The most recent monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the ...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She had been queen regnant of 32 sovere ...

. Design of the 2023 New Zealand Annual Coin - Native Bee - Ngaro Huruhuru.

Exhibitions

Solo

* 2015 ''Assimilate'', Exhibitions Gallery, Wellington * 2017 ''Vagrant Mind'', Exhibitions Gallery, Wellington * 2020 ''Embracing Shadows'', Artbay Gallery, Queenstown

Group

* 2011 ''White Cloud Worlds'', Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, Wellington * 2012 ''White Cloud Worlds'', Lopdell House, Auckland; Museum of Art and History, Rotorua; Waikato Museum of Art and History, Hamilton; Rona Gallery, Wellington * 2012 ''Villains and Assassins'', Strychnin Gallery, Berlin * 2013 Adam Portrait Exhibition Tour: New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington; Lopdell House, Auckland; Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford; Millenium Gallery, Blenheim; The Sute, Nelson; Eastern Southland Gallery, Gore * 2015 ''The Creatives'', Puke Ariki Museum, New Plymouth * 2015 ''White Cloud Worlds'', Academy of Fine Arts, Wellington * 2020 Adam Portrait Award, New Zealand Portrait Gallery,Wellington * 2022 ''Perspective'', Exhibitions Gallery, Wellington * 2022-2023 Adam Portrait Exhibition Tour: Millenium Gallery, Blenheim; Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford; Wallace Arts Centre, Auckland

Publications

Works by Sacha Lees have been published in the following books: * 2002 ''The Lord of the Rings – The Art of 'The Fellowship of the Ring * 2003 ''The Lord of the Rings – The Art of 'The Two Towers * 2004 ''The Art of ‘The Lord of the Rings * 2008 ''Spectrum 15 – The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art'' * 2009 ''Spectrum 16 – The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art'' * 2010 ''Spectrum 17 – The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art'' * 2011 ''White Cloud Worlds, volume 1'' * 2012 ''White Cloud Worlds, volume 2'' * 2012 ''Spectrum 19 – The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art'' * 2015 ''White Cloud Worlds, volume 3'' * 2015 ''Women of Wonder - The Best of Women in Contemporary Fantastic Art''

References

{{Authority control 1977 births Living people People from Kumara, New Zealand Coin designers New Zealand stamp designers People from Greymouth 21st-century New Zealand women artists 21st-century New Zealand painters