Visual Arts

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SCULPT NATURE

Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
18 – 27 Oct | Sanctuary opening hours

Immerse yourself in nature at the Sanctuary and witness six artists from around Aotearoa create sustainable, ephemeral artworks using only natural materials.

WAKA OF DREAMS: PUNANGA POHEWA

Lissy + Rudi Robinson-Cole

Refinery ArtSpace
24 Oct – 23 Nov |
Gallery opening hours

Crochet extraordinaires Lissy and Rudi Robinson-Cole are among THE most exciting contemporary visual artists in Aotearoa right now with their ngā toi celebrating cultural heritage through captivating storytelling and artistic innovation. We are immensely proud to commission their new large-scale project, Waka of Dreams. 

MYTHS & LEGENDS

Sam Duckor-Jones

Lee Woodman Studio + Nelson Airport
Throughout Festival

Via ceramics, papier maché, textiles, poetry, pen and ink, Sam Duckor-Jones builds communities, casting a fluorescent pink lens across the fears and triumphs of an aspirationally shimmering live-alone gay in 21st century Aotearoa.

MANU TUTETUTE

Charles + Janine Williams

Atelier Studio|Gallery
Throughout Festival | Gallery opening hours

Renowned around the world for their visual storytelling in public spaces, urban artists Charles and Janine Williams explore the intricacies of identity vs cultural misconceptions in this exhibition of mixed media works – a must-see celebration of ngā toi Māori! 

WORKSHOPS WITH ARTISTS

Workshops With Artists 
Various venues | Throughout Festival

Keen to get right amongst the arts action and grow your skills under the guidance of our amazing Festival artists? We hear you!  

STOP MAKING SENSE: SURREALIST LEGACIES

Supported by two major lenders: The Chartwell Collection and Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki 

The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi O Whakatū
Throughout Festival |
Open daily
9.30am – 4.30pm

‘It was so Surreal’, is a common expression of strange visual phenomena which may feel fantastical, absurdist, dream-or nightmare-like, or as if ‘reality’ is muddled with the bizarre. The genes of Surrealist art are widespread in contemporary art practices today, but also in visual culture at large, such as film and advertising; so much so, we take them for granted.

HINEUKURANGI

Curated by Carla Ruka

The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi O Whakatū
Throughout Festival |
Open daily
9.30am – 4.30pm

Leading Māori ceramicist Carla Ruka brings together a collective of artists to explore the powerful symbolism of clay in a new exhibition at The Suter Art Gallery. Delving into the realm of Hineukurangi, the Māori deity of clay, this showcase offers a unique perspective on Māori culture and artistry.

MAKE ART NOT WAR

Rana Hamida

Cultural Conversations 
Throughout Festival | Tues – Sat, 10am – 2pm

A participatory art installation to create paper cranes for all people who have lost their lives during the current crisis in Palestine. Origami cranes are the Japanese art form Senbazuru, a traditional belief that by folding 1,000 origami cranes, one’s wish would come true.  

WHISPERS IN THE STREETS

Level 5 & 6 NMIT Digital Art & Design students, led by Klaasz Breukel

Whakatū City Centre
28 Oct – 3 Nov

The whispers return to our city’s bollards! Led by artist and tutor Klaasz Breukel, Level 5 & 6 NMIT Digital Art & Design students share their reflections on how the arts can carve a path forward through the cresting waves of a fast-changing world. 

ELDRITCH ECHOES: A CINEMATIC SOUNDSCAPE

Misled Convoy

INSTALLATION OPEN: 18A
Tues 29 + Wed 30 Oct | 5pm | 60 min | Koha

PERFORMANCE: 18A
Thurs 31 Oct | 9pm | 90 min | PWYC

Piezo transducers wired to locally found objects, augmented electronica and real-time projection of ghostly hints of underlying sound coalesce in a series of sculptural instruments. From the creators of Piki Mai, see a new multimedia work develop across two days or join for the final performance.

SLOW ART DAY

Participating galleries
Sat 2 Nov | 10am – 4pm

Good art is good for you, and that’s why we’re prescribing you a day dedicated to browsing, looking and listening. Slow Art Day returns with a slow-paced but jam-packed programme of artist talks and beautiful exhibitions all over town. 

WOW STORIES: ON CREATIVITY, TENACITY AND DREAMS

Theatre Royal
Sun 3 Nov |
5pm | 90 min  

Join World of WearableArt Founder & Ambassador Dame Suzie Moncrieff, Show Director Malia Johnston and award-winning designer Gill Saunders for an entertaining evening of memories.

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