Kā Kaupapa o te Wā
What’s On
Raymond McIntyre: A Modernist View
Dynamic and progressive paintings and woodcuts from one of Aotearoa’s New Zealand foremost modernist artists.
Living Archives
Archives that tell stories about artists and history in Aotearoa
Whāia te Taniwha
Māori artists consider the enduring relevance of taniwha in Aotearoa.
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
Collection
Angela Tiatia Heels
First in high heels, then barefoot, artist Angela Tiatia repeats a movement performed in the traditional Siva Samoa dance. It’s an endurance exercise for her and us, reflecting the exhausting effort of meeting social and cultural expectations about how women should look and behave. By ensuring her malu (sacred female tattoo) remains visible, Angela challenges a Samoan taboo and critiques how society regards female Pasifika bodies.
The performance also has a more personal meaning. Angela’s mother supported her two daughters by sewing seams for garments to be shipped offshore. She hoped they would have an easier life, in office jobs where they could wear “nice high heels and a short skirt”. Angela’s own dream of being an artist was hard for her mother to accept.
(Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection, 6 August 2022- 21 July 2024)
Notes
Ralph Hotere: Ātete (to resist)
The extraordinary exhibition Ralph Hotere: Ātete (to resist) provided Ōtautahi Christchurch audiences with a truly remarkable opportunity to experience artworks by Ralph Hotere at first hand. Ralph was one of Aotearoa’s most talented artists and, significantly for Christchurch, two of his most notable works, Godwit/Kuaka (1977) and Black Phoenix (1984–88), were shown for the first time in the city.
