Kā Kaupapa o te Wā
What’s On
Made in the Pacific: A Collection of Tāoga
A selection of Pacific tāoga from the Canterbury Museum in conversation with contemporary artworks that highlight the continued strength in culture and traditional art forms.
Mark Adams: A Survey | He Kohinga Whakaahua
A comprehensive survey spanning the artist's career.
Ana Iti: Ngahere Behind a Pile of Metal
An immersive installation considering the legacies of deforestation and significance of kauri trees.
E tuwhera ana te wharetoi i kā rā e 7 o te wiki, 10am - 5pm
Ka tuwhera ki te 9pm i kā pō Wenerei
Open 7 days, 10am - 5pm
Late night Wednesday until 9pm
Uruka utukore, ahokore utukore
Free entry, free wifi
Gerard O’Regan
Commentary
Land of Memories
As an archaeologist specialising in Māori rock art heritage I have been taken by the intertwining of three modern recognitions in international rock art and archaeological research. Firstly, landscapes are not objectively viewed and fixed physical environments – rather they are mental constructs that exist in our minds and are shaped by our cultural understandings, personal experiences, beliefs and changing social contexts. Secondly, fixed in place where the ancestors made it, the location of a piece of rock art in a landscape is a critical part of its meaning over and above its motif subject. And, thirdly, still fixed in place, rock art is intergenerational; it can last tens of thousands of years.