Articles - Regional News | Connecting Wellington

Art

Art is real - 215 | Regional News

Art is real

Richard Lewer believes that it’s important all Kiwis learn about our complex history. Explore the Waikato Wars until the 12th of May at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata.

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Our rainbow, sparkly, sequined selves - 214 | Regional News

Our rainbow, sparkly, sequined selves

Coming to the capital for the first time during the 2024 Wellington Pride Festival, Explosive Empathy challenges LGBTQIA+ discrimination through colourful and quirky mixed-media artworks by creative Melanie Fleet.

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A symphony of blooms - 213 | Regional News

A symphony of blooms

Bursting forth in an explosion of colour and life, Andrea Robinson’s exhibition Floral Affair at Mitchell Studios is a celebration of nature, beauty, love, and friendship.

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The many faces of love - 212 | Regional News

The many faces of love

Love and Marriage: Images of Romantic Unions at New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata explores the myriad expressions of love and marriage in Aotearoa New Zealand over the last 150 years.

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Being here - 211 | Regional News

Being here

Time, place, and light are what drive photographer Ben Lowe to interpret life through his lens. Experience the wild Wellington coast in all its mystical and midnight beauty through the Courtenay Place light boxes.

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Questioning, creating, changing - 210 | Regional News

Questioning, creating, changing

Kiwi painter Ian Scott pulled away from the dominant ideas of his time and pushed towards new possibilities. Paying homage to this great artist, New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata celebrates Scott’s work until the 11th of February.

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Weaving textile connections - 210 | Regional News

Weaving textile connections

Help weave together a communal tapestry and engage in a kōrero about textile waste at the activation Micro Mill, taking up residence on the corner of Victoria and Dixon Streets until the 21st of December.

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A woman’s perspective - 209 | Regional News

A woman’s perspective

Artist Susanne Kerr examines the relationship between humans and their environments in intricate and overflowing paintings as part of her new exhibition Remnants, on display at Pātaka Art + Museum.

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The poetry of painting - 208 | Regional News

The poetry of painting

With his newest pieces currently on display at Robert Heald Gallery until the 18th of November, Andrew McLeod tells us all about his career, process, and inspiration.

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The tapestry of life - 207 | Regional News

The tapestry of life

Artist Kate Stevens West weaves together the fabric of her maternal ancestors into a tapestry of her heritage.

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Same same but different - 206 | Regional News

Same same but different

This exhibition at New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata until the 10th of December explores how Sāmoan culture and tradition has changed over the last 150 years by placing contemporary and historical photographs side by side.

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Walking backwards into the future - 205 | Regional News

Walking backwards into the future

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Pātaka Art + Museum reflects on their past while turning their gaze towards the future.

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Down the rabbit hole - 204 | Regional News

Down the rabbit hole

An exhibition that examines the relationship between contemporary art and internet culture, Steamed Hams at Dowse Art Museum is a full-course meal.

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Movement of life - 203 | Regional News

Movement of life

With a rich, textural style and decades of experience, painter John Badcock captures the fleeting beauty of life in his en plein air artworks.

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Buzzing for Barbie - 202 | Regional News

Buzzing for Barbie

The wonderful, whimsical world of Barbie (and Ken) has descended on Wellington Museum. Discover Barbie’s dreamland and get to know Patsy Carlisle, one of New Zealand’s biggest collectors.

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A unique language - 202 | Regional News

A unique language

Renowned Māori artist Darcy Nicholas was blown away when he happened upon the work of emerging Māori artist Pēkere Fruean. Explore their collaborative exhibition at Pātaka Art + Museum.

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The human spirit shines through - 201 | Regional News

The human spirit shines through

The Parkin Drawing Prize, on at the Academy Galleries until the 3rd of September, showcases New Zealand excellence and innovation in drawing in all its forms, processes, materials, and ideas.

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Facing the pandemic - 200 | Regional News

Facing the pandemic

In an allegory of isolation, loss, and friendship during the COVID-19 lockdown, artist Euan Macleod presents the hundreds of portraits he created of fellow artist and friend Geoff Dixon.

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Saving art from the skip - 199 | Regional News

Saving art from the skip

Artstart Foundation’s mission is to save student artwork from the skip and celebrate young artists. Come see the artwork on display at their first-ever Wellington exhibition.

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Raw meets roar - 199 | Regional News

Raw meets roar

Former gang leader turned artist Simon Kerr presents a sketchbook of his past life and experiences in a raw and visceral exhibition.

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What is a legacy? - 197 | Regional News

What is a legacy?

A group of five filmmakers, both national and international, explore the meaning of legacy at Adam Art Gallery Te Pātaka Toi.

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A magic perspective - 196 | Regional News

A magic perspective

Artist Carol Anne Bauer was always drawn to the natural world, magic, symbolism, cultural mythologies, and science. Explore her world at her retrospective exhibition Have the Most Fun You Can Before They Make You Stop.

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Me, Myself and Monet - 195 | Regional News

Me, Myself and Monet

Tāmaki Makaurau artist Helen Keen uses the ancient material of encaustic wax to create timeless paintings inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies.

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I live here - 194 | Regional News

I live here

Pablos Art Studio artists in conjunction with Enjoy Gallery present sensitive and heartfelt perspectives on Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s housing situation.

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A necessary struggle - 193 | Regional News

A necessary struggle

Artist Tom Sladden likes to have a bit of fun when approaching his work, doesn’t want to take himself too seriously, and doesn’t want you to either. Check out his exhibition Light Air at Bowen Galleries, he’d love to hear what you think!

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Age-old binaries - 192 | Regional News

Age-old binaries

Sam Clague takes a journey back in time in order to document, study, analyse, and draw attention to the oppressive social and economic practices of our capitalist history.

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At the crossroads - 191 | Regional News

At the crossroads

Reuben Paterson has been creating a beautiful world of glitter, colour, and intersectionality for over 25 years. Now, he is holding his largest exhibition ever at City Gallery Wellington.

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Timeless transience - 190 | Regional News

Timeless transience

Former acrobat and circus performer Eric Desiles’ newest exhibition of sculptures continues his exploration of the human body, its form, and the fleeting moments of its movement.

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In two worlds - 189 | Regional News

In two worlds

Page Galleries presents Max Gimblett’s exhibition Across the River, which explores his experience navigating both the physical and psychological distance between New Zealand and the USA.

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Life anew - 188 | Regional News

Life anew

Job Klijn’s newest exhibition, Mother said there would be days like this, features moodscapes and brooding skies made on recycled materials at Exhibitions Gallery.

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Wormhole pottery - 187 | Regional News

Wormhole pottery

Antireality Perversion Void, a bizarre and confronting exhibition that draws on themes of science fiction, mythology, and the nature of reality, is on now at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi.

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Myth, magic, and makeup - 186 | Regional News

Myth, magic, and makeup

Megan Dunn explores everything to do with mermaids in her exhibition The Mermaid Chronicles, on at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery.

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Documenting an ever-changing city  - 185 | Regional News

Documenting an ever-changing city

Gone Not Forgotten by Mike Aamodt and Transient Spaces by Simon Jay, exhibitions running simultaneously at Mitchell Studios, both present images that explore our ever-changing capital city.

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A feast for art-lovers - 184 | Regional News

A feast for art-lovers

New Zealand’s national watercolour exhibition and the Wellington Potters’ Association’s major exhibition combine to present over 300 artworks by renowned Kiwi artists.

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A new dimension  - 184 | Regional News

A new dimension

Local award-winning artist and designer Tim Christie talks about his unique creative style as he prepares to exhibit at Wellesley College’s major exhibition ARTBOURNE 2022.

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Disconnecting worlds  - 183 | Regional News

Disconnecting worlds

Screaming Waterfall is a new exhibition that brings together artists whose practices are informed by the fraught and complex transformation of landscape.

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Landscapes of bone, rock, and earth - 182 | Regional News

Landscapes of bone, rock, and earth

Of dual Mexican and Pākehā descent, artist Eleanor Díaz Ritson carves and moulds human figures into their landscapes in her dark and moody paintings.

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Artworks of national significance - 181 | Regional News

Artworks of national significance

Gathered Voices: Highlights of the Fletcher Trust Collection displays 18 beautiful figure-based works from one of the most prestigious private art collections in Aotearoa.

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Feathers in Frame - 180 | Regional News

Feathers in Frame

Feathers in Frame displays over 50 photos taken of birds in their natural habitats by experienced Kiwi photographer Bruce Jenkins.

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Let the light in  - 179 | Regional News

Let the light in

Displaying 12 bright works depicting her relationship with the sun, Ruby Wilkinson combines her talents and passions in her new exhibition Sun Room.

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Medicine for the soul  - 178 | Regional News

Medicine for the soul

Showing at Exhibitions Gallery, Mervin Singham’s new exhibition features 14 brilliantly colourful paintings that investigate humanity and our connection with each other and the environment.

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The power of pāua   - 177 | Regional News

The power of pāua

Dazzling and contemplative, Pāua: A Contemporary Jewellery Story includes over 70 works that examine and explore Aotearoa’s unique relationship with pāua.

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More than meets the eye  - 176 | Regional News

More than meets the eye

Jack Trolove’s newest exhibition, Thresholding, will show his large paintings with the gallery lights turned off, offering the visitors a whole new experience.  

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Remembering Avenal McKinnon - 175 | Regional News

Remembering Avenal McKinnon

The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata pays tribute to their former director, the late Avenal McKinnon, with a wonderful display from her personal portrait collection.

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Unguarded moments - 173 | Regional News

Unguarded moments

Showing now at Envy6011, Total Control displays photographs taken by Adrienne Martyn, a Wellington-based artist whose works are held in major public collections throughout Aotearoa.

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Permanent Green - 172 | Regional News

Permanent Green

Local artist Alicja Gear captures moments where light dances across the landscape with her expressive oil paintings. The combination of the large gestural marks and bold use of the colour green leads audiences on an insightful journey through Aotearoa’s native bush.

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A defiant roar against despair - 171 | Regional News

A defiant roar against despair

A celebration of nature and magic, with swirls of fine line inkwork and washes of shimmering gold, Pepper Raccoon’s first solo exhibition explores what happens when the natural world evolves beyond what we imagine.

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The ancient artform of tapestry  - 171 | Regional News

The ancient artform of tapestry

New Zealand artist Patricia Armour explores her interpretations of Greek mythology through the ancient artform of tapestry. This series of work is based loosely on the origin story of the Pleiades constellation.

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Ko wai a Māpihi? This is not Water?  - 170 | Regional News

Ko wai a Māpihi? This is not Water?

Artists Cae Te Wheoro Heke and Nick Denton have created a vibrant and fascinating exhibition that sheds light on an ancient Wellington stream, one that has been both hidden and forgotten by many over time.

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The truth is out there  - 169 | Regional News

The truth is out there

The Truth Is Out There is an exciting exhibition that should be explored by anyone interested in UFOs, alien abductions, and other unexplained phenomena as some big questions will be asked by the artists who created this intriguing journey through outer space.

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Meaningless possessions  - 168 | Regional News

Meaningless possessions

Kate Beatty’s newest exhibition is one that forces audiences to question what is really important. Her beautiful paintings reflect the importance people put on items that are glamorous and expensive, instead of focusing on what is truly valuable.   

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The forces that shape our environment  - 167 | Regional News

The forces that shape our environment

Award-winning visual artist Jacqui Colley has teamed up with four other artists to create an exhibition that investigates and questions matters that affect all of us in Aotearoa and around the world.

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Lisa Reihana makes a splash  - 166 | Regional News

Lisa Reihana makes a splash

Surveys of internationally acclaimed multi-disciplinary artist Lisa Reihana are currently taking place across Wellington, including Nomads of the Sea, an exhibition at Pātaka Art + Museum.

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Artist celebrates Wellington buildings - 165 | Regional News

Artist celebrates Wellington buildings

Welsh import Stacey Fraser-Allen demonstrates her love for the buildings of Wellington in a new watercolour exhibition coming to Thistle Hall.

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The king of quirk’s latest work - 164 | Regional News

The king of quirk’s latest work

Paul Vincent’s new series of paintings was inspired by American blues legend Mose Allison.

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Beautiful failures  - 163 | Regional News

Beautiful failures

Running at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata until the 13th of March, Unfinished Portraits proves we can learn from abandoned artworks.

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Mischievous Indigenous art  - 162 | Regional News

Mischievous Indigenous art

Mischief Makers, on now at Pātaka Art + Museum, showcases Māori and Moana artists who use humour to make a point.

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Beautiful contradictions  - 162 | Regional News

Beautiful contradictions

Renowned Otago farmer Eden Hore spent years collecting couture gowns, which are displayed alongside stunning photographs in this new exhibition at The Dowse Art Museum.

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A pivotal period for New Zealand - 161 | Regional News

A pivotal period for New Zealand

Face Time: Portraits from the 1980s, opening soon at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, reflects on the historical, social, economic, and political shifts we saw throughout the 80s.

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Secret paintings revealed - 161 | Regional News

Secret paintings revealed

A highly anticipated exhibition by revolutionary Swedish artist Hilma af Klint will open soon at City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi.

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Figures of the night  - 160 | Regional News

Figures of the night

Four artists with a similarly grungy aesthetic dissect club culture and pop culture in Nightcore, opening on the 12th of November at Envy6011.

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Artist stares down trauma  - 159 | Regional News

Artist stares down trauma

Sculptor and author Catherine Daniels exorcises her childhood trauma in The Secret Keeper, on now at the Exhibitions Gallery of Fine Art.

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Take time to kōrero - 158 | Regional News

Take time to kōrero

A new digital exhibition featuring many of our most lauded artists encourages Kiwis to talk about mental health.

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Min Kim and her friends - 157 | Regional News

Min Kim and her friends

Christchurch-based artist and gallery owner Min Kim presents a new exhibition of watercolours and oil paintings at the Alfred Memelink Artspace Gallery.

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The many faces of Wellington  - 156 | Regional News

The many faces of Wellington

For his first solo exhibition, Clark Roworth has created a deck of 54 giant playing cards depicting people from all corners of Wellington.

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Omitted artists - 156 | Regional News

Omitted artists

Autonomous Bodies, a new exhibition running at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, showcases women, non-white, and LGBTQIA+ artists.

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One last ride - 155 | Regional News

One last ride

As more provincial tracks close, two photographers shine a spotlight on the horse racing community and its venues.

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Local Surrealist gets in on the action - 154 | Regional News

Local Surrealist gets in on the action

As Te Papa hosts its international Surrealism exhibition, The Kiwi Art House Gallery is drawing attention to our very own Wellington Surrealist.

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The beauty of Japanese dolls - 153 | Regional News

The beauty of Japanese dolls

An exhibition of 67 unique Japanese dolls – ningyō – is on now at the Massey University College of Creative Arts campus.

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Emerging Māori artists shine - 153 | Regional News

Emerging Māori artists shine

An exhibition will showcase the finalists for this year’s Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata until the 15th of August.

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Long-awaited Surrealist exhibition opens  - 151 | Regional News

Long-awaited Surrealist exhibition opens

Surrealist Art, the largest Surrealist exhibition ever shown in New Zealand, includes masterpieces by Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and more.

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A different kind of family portrait  - 150 | Regional News

A different kind of family portrait

In an exhibition opening soon at The Dowse Art Museum, Claudia Kogachi sheds light on her relationship with her mother through the frame of competitive sports.

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Aotearoa through a Japanese lens - 150 | Regional News

Aotearoa through a Japanese lens

Porirua-based artist Alistair McDonald imagines how Andō Hiroshige, a great master of ukiyo-e, might interpret New Zealand in his latest exhibition.

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What it means to be good - 149 | Regional News

What it means to be good

Artist Ayesha Green deciphers what it means to be a ‘good citizen’ from a wāhine Māori perspective in her latest exhibition.

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The to and fro of technology and climate change   - 147 | Regional News

The to and fro of technology and climate change

Photographer Clayton Morgan highlights the positive and negative impacts technology has on the climate in TerraObscura, on now at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre.

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Indigenous Arctic artists share their concerns - 146 | Regional News

Indigenous Arctic artists share their concerns

Indigenous artists from the circumpolar world visualise the threats facing their people in a new exhibition running at Pātaka Art + Museum.

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The rise of graffiti in Aotearoa - 145 | Regional News

The rise of graffiti in Aotearoa

The Most Dedicated: An Aotearoa Graffiti Story, an exhibition opening soon at The Dowse Art Museum, explores the impact of street art collective TMD for the first time at any major public gallery.  

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The destruction of our wetlands - 144 | Regional News

The destruction of our wetlands

Lisa Clunie and Thorsten Hoppe illustrate what our communities have lost following decades of exploitation of our wetlands in their new Photospace Gallery exhibition.

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Father and daughter connect in new exhibition  - 143 | Regional News

Father and daughter connect in new exhibition

Photographer Sara McIntyre and her late father Peter McIntyre pay tribute to Kākahi, a beloved rural King Country town, in a joint exhibition opening soon at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata.

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Pacific artist connects cultures  - 143 | Regional News

Pacific artist connects cultures

On now at Pātaka Art + Museum, Yuki Kihara explores her multicultural heritage in an exhibition of garments inspired by the Sāmoan siapo and the Japanese kimono.

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The misrepresentation of Māori men - 142 | Regional News

The misrepresentation of Māori men

Photographer Chevron Hassett addresses the harmful ways in which Māori men are represented in Aotearoa.

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Artist and animator join forces  - 141 | Regional News

Artist and animator join forces

Animator Simon Ward brings the psychedelic illustrations of Jess Johnson to life in Terminus, an immersive VR experience on now at The Dowse Art Museum.

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Street art: The Mover - 141 | Regional News

Street art: The Mover

For the final entry in our long-running Street Art Series, we chat to artists Gabriel Heimler and Anna Proc about their iconic Wellington mural.

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Street art: Sworn enermies: Felines vs. Canines  - 140 | Regional News

Street art: Sworn enermies: Felines vs. Canines

We chat to street artist Andrew J. Steel about one of his many iconic Wellington murals.

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Painter depicts the power of protest  - 140 | Regional News

Painter depicts the power of protest

Lisa Chandler’s The Diving Line, an exhibition inspired by protests around the world, will open at Expressions Whirinaki on the 19th of December.

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Eroding coastline captured on canvas - 139 | Regional News

Eroding coastline captured on canvas

Artist Neil Frazer depicts the ever-changing Tongapōrutu coastline in his latest exhibition.

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Street art: Mind the Balance - 138 | Regional News

Street art: Mind the Balance

We chat to artist Elise Grangier about her Newtown mural, a collaborative project with James Mitchell.  

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Exhibition asks us to embrace discomfort   - 138 | Regional News

Exhibition asks us to embrace discomfort 

Optimism and its afterlives, a new joint exhibition running at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space until the 5th of December, asks us to bask in the disarray of key transitional moments. 

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Artist pleas for change  - 137 | Regional News

Artist pleas for change

For John Walsh, the artist behind Uawa Tolaga Bay, this one’s personal.

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Street art: Porirua 50th Anniversary - 137 | Regional News

Street art: Porirua 50th Anniversary

We chat to street artists Chloē Reweti and Ruth ‘Gorse’ Robertson-Taylor about their Cobham Court mural.

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Street art: A Tribute to Rita Angus - 136 | Regional News

Street art: A Tribute to Rita Angus

We chat to street artist Askew One about his Willis Street mural.

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A landmark art series returns - 135 | Regional News

A landmark art series returns

The Death and Resurrection of Luigi Spinelli was a landmark series for Piera McArthur ONZM. The 15 paintings, which she began in 1980, tell the Italian legend of a man killed by a bull and the sorrow and enlightenment that followed for his widow.

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Street art: Tane Te Ohanga – The Bird Sanctuary  - 135 | Regional News

Street art: Tane Te Ohanga – The Bird Sanctuary

We chat to street artist Poi ‘TECHS’ Ngawati about his iconic mural in Tawa.

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