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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.