Whakaaturaka
Exhibitions
Taiopeka
Events
E Whakaaturia ana Ināianei
On display
Sean Mallon: Sāmoan Tattooing, Cosmopolitans and Global Culture
Sean Mallon
Special Event
Philip Carter Family Auditorium
Free
Join Sean Mallon, senior curator Pacific cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa for a discussion of Sāmoan tattooing as a global practice with a rich history of continuity, contestation, change and innovation.
The talk is illustrated with archival documents, material culture and the photography of Mark Adams and others.
Related reading: Talk, Pasifika, Free event
Exhibition
Mark Adams: A Survey | He Kohinga Whakaahua
7 March – 26 July 2026
A comprehensive survey spanning the artist's career.
Commentary
Clocking Off
For most people, migration is a semi-abstract concept. It’s the fall guy for social issues, the topic of choice for political pundits. For me, it was something I romanticised. Although both of my parents were born in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland I always thought of myself as the child of migrants, as all four of my grandparents were born outside of Aotearoa New Zealand and immigrated here for various reasons at various times. However, it wasn’t until I became a migrant worker myself, after accepting a job in the United States and navigating immigration firsthand, that I realised how difficult moving countries was.
Commentary
A Perspective on Pacific Art in Christchurch
Pacific art is one of the more internationally successful and innovative sectors of New Zealand’s art industry, but Pacific artists in Ōtautahi have struggled to be a visible part of the city’s cultural landscape. Due to our small population and distance from the Pacific art capital that is Auckland, our artists have often developed in relative isolation, relying on our Pasifika arts community to maintain a sense of cultural vitality, belonging and place within the city.
