Both Mason's lack of formal training and autism have identified him as one of the key figures within the Outsider Art category in Australia. This categorisation is confirmed by his repeated inclusion in Outsider Art exhibitions and fairs, both in Australia and in the USA. However, in recent years his work has also achieved success in more conventional art institutions and has been acquired for major collections at the National Gallery of Australia and the State Library of Victoria. Mason cites as a major influence the artist Ron Mueck, with whom his work shares the Hyperrealist style that emerged from photorealism, and whose subject matter is derived from reinterpretations of photographic imagery. His signature depictions of voluptuous women are sourced from images collected from the Internet and various publications; in his search for reference material he aims for women whose dimensions result in the figures being "almost as tall as they are wide," dimensions which he views as "perfect" and "archetypal." In recent years Mason has developed a tendency towards smaller-scale ceramic pieces and has expressed a strong interest in pursuing taxidermy in his work, which APA Studio Manager James McDonald describes as "a logical next step." Mason has exhibited at Gertrude Contemporary, c3 Contemporary Art Space and Linden New Art. He has also held a solo exhibition at Sydney's prestigious Darren Knight Gallery in 2014.
Publications
Anne Stonehouse, So Far… Eight Artists / Eight Stories, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2014. Sim Luttin & Melissa Petty, Wild Lands, exhibition catalogue, Linden New Art, Melbourne, 2016
Solo exhibitions
Chris Mason Solo, Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney, 2014 Michelle, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2007 The Chris Mason Show, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2002
Selected group exhibitions
Clay: it’s a matter of substance, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2016 Wild Lands, Linden New Art, St Kilda, Melbourne, 2016 Manningham Victorian Ceramic Award 2015, Manningham Art Gallery, 2015 Deakin University Contemporary Small Sculpture Award, Deakin University Melbourne, 2015 That’s Funny, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2015 Melbourne Art Fair 2014,Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, 2000 - 2014 Renegades: Outsider Art, Moree Plains Gallery, national touring exhibition, 2013 - Into the Vault and Out of the Box, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2014 Turning the Page, Gallery 101, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 2014 Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, Manningham Art Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 Repeat. Restate… Reiterate, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 Outsiderism Fleisher Ollman Gallery, Philapelphia, USA, 2013 World In My Eyes, C3 Gallery, Melbourne, 2013 In the making, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2012 This Sensual World, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2011 Erotica, James Makin Gallery, Collingwood, Melbourne, 2011 Portrait Exchange, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2010 Pacifica, Gallery Impaire, Paris, France, 2010 The Agents,Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne, 2010 Off the Edge: Ceramics Triennale, Chrissie Cotter Gallery, Sydney Reinvention: Creativity and Self Identity, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, Melbourne Location Location Location! Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne Pearls of Arts Project Australia: Stuart Purves Collection, national touring exhibition, 2007 - 2009 Wild Things, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2008 , Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2006 Leo Cussen with Selected Artists, Australian Galleries, Collingwood, 2005 South of the Border, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2005 Sydney Art on Paper Fair, Byron Kennedy Hall, Sydney, 2005 Hitch a Ride, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2005 Outsider Art Fair, New York, United States. Hosted by the Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, 2005 Home Sweet Home: Works from the Peter Fay Collection, National Gallery of Australia Travelling exhibition, 2004 – 2005 2nd Annual Intuit Show of Folk and Outsider Art, Chicago, United States, hosted by the Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, 2004 Visual Disobedience, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2004 Printed Matter, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2004 From vacuum cleaning to Plumpers Dance Party, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 2002 Five Artists From Arts Project Australia, Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Sydney, 2000 Six Artists from Arts Project Australia, Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Sydney, 1999 Profile, Manningham City Gallery, Melbourne, 1999 Transport, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 1998 The Autistic Eye, Vic Health Access Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, 1998 Off the Wall, Arts Project Australia Gallery, Melbourne, 1998
Awards
Manningham Victorian Ceramic Award 2015, Manningham Art Gallery, Finalist 2015 Deakin University Small Sculpture Award, Deakin University, Finalist People’s Choice Award, Moving Galleries, Observerance exhibition, Melbourne, 2012
Publications
Anne Stonehouse, So Far… Eight Artists / Eight Stories, Arts Project Australia, Melbourne, 2014. Sim Luttin & Melissa Petty, Wild Lands, exhibition catalogue, Linden New Art, Melbourne, 2016
Collections
Chris Mason's work is represented in National Gallery of Australia, State Library of Victoria, Stuart Purves Collection and private collections.
