Rob Jensen

I was born and raised in Feilding and have recently returned home to the Manawatu after my extended AE (Auckland Experience). I have been a performing artist since a very early age. I am classically trained actor and a self taught artist. I left the Manawatu when I was a teenager and moved to Hawkes Bay. While in the bay I studied drama at the Hawkes Bay Polytechnic Drama School and I earned a “Diploma in Performing Arts: Drama”. I was a member of the inaugural class under tutorage Downstage veteran Dick Johnstone.  During the two years of study and performance; my class and I not only learnt all aspects of acting (classical, film and improvisation) but learnt  a lot about the 'back-end' work as well; rehearsals, schedules, pack in’s & out’s, devising and collaborating on new works etc.  I believe this training gave me a deep and broad understanding of the inner workings of theatre both on and off the boards. In 1996 I also attended the summer school program at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in Wellington.

After graduating Hawkes Bay Drama School, I toured performed in a “drunk driving” play to secondary schools around the North Island.  My duties also included managing the pack in and out processes.  Our troupe was made up of eight people; one director, one soundman & three actresses, three actors, it was a great way to hone my skills.

After the drunk driving play, I moved to Wellington and started working as an actor/stagehand.  I worked at Downstage packing out the shows so the new shows could pack in.  I also worked at Taki Rua as an actor in an experimental adaptation of an Ibsen’s ‘The Dolls House’.  The majority of my time was spent at Bats theatre as a volunteer, working on fringe festival shows and STAB and Young & Hungry festivals.  I worked in the Fringe Festival and the International Arts festival both in 1998 and was also a standup comedian for a while. And have also been in several TV commercials including the old Post Shop ad and the super 12 ads. I have been a featured actor in a couple of TV shows such as 'Mirror Mirror' and 'Love Bites'. The last job I had as an actor (living and breathing the Wellington lifestyle) was working on the Lord of the Rings trilogy as a member of the 2nd unit, C stunt team (I.e. Background action) for two years. While I lived and worked in Wellington I learnt a huge amount about the real “guts” of theatre, the stuff that makes theatre tick, from rehearsals to the last curtain call and beyond, and much of that knowledge helped immensely when I started in event management when I moved to Auckland in 2002. 

In Auckland I rediscovered my artistic creativity I ran my own events business called Tangent; specializing in social events I.e. Birthdays, 21sts, New Years, dance parties, beach parties, some of 27 events private and corporate over a four year period. 

I also had a couple of art exhibitions in Auckland at Cafes and night venues such as clubs and pubs. My style can be best described as 'expanded existential free form' reminiscent of Robert Pollock with influences from Monet and Picasso or as described recently “Pollock on Acid”. Much of my work has a strong environmental aspect as I produce both traditional 'flat' paintings as well as expanded paint three-dimensional works; by environmental I mean that I create interactive environments for the audience to become a part of, as opposed to just standing and merely observing art in a gallery setting.

My artwork deals with the duality of life or the complexities of human relationships, because of the nature of my work much of it can be observed under different light sources such as UV light to expose a new painting hidden by natural light.

My work also includes an underground or alternative culture 'feel' to it as I am fascinated by the duality, not only of our life and relationships, but also the differing 'day' and 'night' cultures in large cities landscapes like Wellington and Auckland as a counter point to the great global duality of western and eastern cultures.

Moved forward, now that I am back home in the Manawatu, I intend to start creating a fusion between improvisational drama and experimental art, blurring the boundary between art and theatre.