Peter Rive is interested in the historical notion of the brushstroke as the language of expression and in the time, process, scale and viewing of a painting. Drawing upon his experiences of East and West, his current work incorporates diverse sources of information and media, including traditional and industrial paints, photography and digital imagery on canvas.

Since leaving university with a BFA in painting in 2001, Rive has travelled extensively abroad and has lived between NZ, Asia and Latin America. He has recently exhibited in New York, Florence, Paris (at the Carrousel du Louvre), Osaka, Tokyo and Auckland, and his latest projects have extended to include collaborations with boutique fashion labels and large stage productions. In 2014 he founded Tokyo IAS, an international art school in Shibuya. He has been a finalist in the 2016 New Zealand Painting & Printmaking Awards, the 2015 Parkin Drawing Prize and the BMW Art Awards in 2008. He currently lives in Tokyo with his wife and two sons.