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
Collection
Oliver Perkins Study for Painting for the Clarification of Internal Architecture and Institutional Identity (PCIAII)
Collection
Ayesha Green Transit
In Transit Ayesha Green presents us with a modified version of Te Tohu Pakanga o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Coat of Arms. Intended to represent the sovereign nature of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Government’s authority, the coat of arms includes two figures – a Māori rakatira holding a taiaha and a European woman holding the New Zealand flag. Facing each other, they flank a shield depicting items of significance to the nation (sea trade, agriculture, sheep farming and mining), on top of which sits St Edward’s Crown. Green, however, focuses on the two figures who here face away from each other, their backs turned. She challenges the sense of equality and partnership suggested by the original depiction, highlighting the ongoing difficulties of Māori and Pākehā relations in Aotearoa New Zealand. rakatira ~ person of high rank, chief, leader taiaha ~ long wooden weapon
(He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil, 2025)
Collection
Andy Leleisi’uao Dispersed Humanoids Part II
Andy Leleisi’uao grew up in Mangere, a working-class Auckland suburb that became home to large numbers of migrants from the Pacific Islands in the 1960s. The Kiwi-born son of Samoan parents, he often felt suspended between their adopted home and Fa’a Samoa. The imaginary worlds he has created within these paintings – filled with puzzles, metamorphosis and in-between creatures like jellyfish – evoke that feeling, and also how two cultures might be pieced together into a new identity. Though Leleisi’uao longed to be an artist, he took factory jobs to support his family. Manual labour and time passing are key parts of his work, which also considers how New Zealand’s culture of individualism differs from the collective approach prioritised within Samoan society.
