Peter James Smith was born in Paparoa, New Zealand in 1954. He is widely published as a mathematician and holds the degrees BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD and a Master of Fine Art in Painting. Until his retirement to fulltime painting at the end of 2010 he was Professor of Mathematics and Art and Head of the School of Creative Media 2002-9 at RMIT University. He was awarded a residency at Scott Base, Antarctica, in January 2010 as an Antarctic New Zealand Artist Fellow. His paintings are held in many public, private and corporate collections in New Zealand, Australia and internationally.

Selected Exhibitions
He has held 54 solo exhibitions and been in 80 group exhibitions since 1975. This includes recent solo exhibitions:

2002     Underlapping Science, Michael Nagy Fine Art, Sydney, Australia
2002     Always through the dark; Notes on the continuing presence of history, Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland
2003     Fading Light, Milford Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand, June
2003     Fading Light, Gallery 101, Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
2004     The Substance of Clouds, Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2004     Stills from ‘Fading Light’, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania
2005     Illumined by Darkness, Edmiston Duke Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.
2005     Navigator, Milford Galleries Queenstown, New Zealand
2005     Close to the Eastern Shore, Judith Anderson Galleries, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
2005     Illumined by Darkness, Gallery 101, Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
2006     Truth + Beauty, Milford Galleries, Dunedin, New Zealand
2006     Truth + Beauty, Edmiston Duke Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2007     Truth + Beauty, Gallery 101, Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
2007     Truth + Beauty, Brooke/Gifford Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand
2008     Truth + Beauty, curated by Claire Watson, Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, Victoria, Australia
2008     The Sublime Echo, Milford Galleries, Dunedin, New Zealand
2009     reENLIGHTENMENT, Gallery101, Collins St, Melbourne, Australia
2009     Histories Reprised, John Leech Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2010     Nine Key Works 2002-8, Milford Galleries Queenstown, New Zealand
2011     Light, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2011     Iceblink, John Leech Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand

Selected Group exhibitions include:
1977     Young Contemporaries, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
1978      NY/NW/78, Barry Lett Galleries, Auckland, New Zealand
1992     A Breath of Fresh Art---A selection of recent art works by 35 New Zealand artists, The Bath∙House Art and History Museum, Rotorua, New Zealand
1996     The Land, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, New Zealand
1998     Picturing History, Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, New Zealand
2000     The Numbers Game, Adam Art Gallery--Te Pataka Toi, Wellington, New Zealand
2000     Mathematics and Art, Bond University Art Gallery, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
2002     Our Place: Our People, Recent Acquisitions, The Suter Gallery—Te Aratoi o Whakatu, Nelson, New Zealand
2002    Synergy, A collaborative exhibition between artists and scientists, curated by Dick Bett, CSIRO Marine Laboratories, Hobart, Tasmania
2003      OverView ‘’ Is As: Landscape as metaphor’’, Milford Galleries Dunedin, New Zealand
2004     Compendium, ICON Museum of Art, Deakin University, curated by Martina Copley, Melbourne, Australia
2004     The Transit of Venus, Milford Galleries: Queenstown, Dunedin and Auckland, New Zealand
2006     Salon, curated by Catherine Wolfhagen, Bett Gallery, Hobart, Australia
2008     (The Skins of the) Orchestra; a sculptural installation with sound artists Kipps Horn and Barry Hill, Field 36, School of Creative Media, RMIT University
2008     Anthology; curated by Dianna Gold, Gallery 101, Melbourne, Australia
2009     Classic vs Contemporary—Critical art movements within New Zealand, John Leech Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2009     The Artist’s Aviary, John Leech Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2010     Wall Works, Gallery 101, Melbourne, Australia
2010     Constellations: A Large Number of Small Drawings, RMIT Gallery, Swanston St, Melbourne, Australia
2010      Frieze, Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2011      Between Heaven and Earth, Page/Blackie Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
2011      Visible/Invisible, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne