B.

For those of you who got to see the De-Building exhibition way back in 2011, for the few weeks it was on display before the earthquakes, you may remember a wonderful piece by Pierre Huyghe, in which concentric rings revealed various layers of paint below the walls surface, a kind of archaelogical exploration of the gallery's exhibition history.

They call it the 'yellow volkswagen effect': once you see one, you see them everywhere. It's been a little like that for me following Justin Paton's short-lived, terrific and – it turns out – strangely prescient exhibition De-Building, which opened to great acclaim on 5 February and closed forever on 22 February, for obvious, afore-mentioned reasons.

Cycling into work along Ferry Road each morning I pass one of those new ads perkily announcing that 'The Christchurch We Love is Still Here'. And each morning I imagine getting off the bike and performing a firm correction. Something along the lines of, 'The Christchurch we love is still here, but some very big bits of it are being knocked down.'

We had three great exhibitions on display in February. De-Building, Van der Velden: Otira and Leo Bensemann: A Fantastic Art Venture all opened within three weeks of the earthquake, and all three had their runs cut very short.

The show's only been open a matter of weeks but plans to 'de-build' De-Building are already well underway.

These spaces are under construction.

A few weeks ago the staff here dealt with the biggest art crate they'd ever handled, for Ron Mueck's huge sculpture A girl.

The view from inside the walls in the De-Building spaces, with holes cut and waiting for the arrival of Fiona Connor's installation of facsimile domestic windows, What you bring with you to work.

Our internal De-Building billboard goes up, with some finishing touches from the Stanley knife.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the February earthquake of 2011 which devastated Christchurch. During that time, we and our city have been through so many different phases.

Aaron Kreisler is Head of the School of Fine Art at the University of Canterbury. He talked to Bulletin about challenges and opportunities for the arts in our city and what art can contribute to the future of Christchurch.

Martin Trusttum, project manager for Ōtākaro Art by the River, and founder of temporary gallery space ArtBox, writes on the role of art in Christchurch.

A technology that allows a building to effectively 'float' on its foundations during an earthquake is about to be applied to the Gallery.

The latest issue of Photoforum's MoMento journal (issue 14, January 2014) focuses on the work of three photographers with strong ties to Christchurch and their haunting images of this battered city post February 22, 2011.

Earthquake images from 125 years ago

Repair work has started on Christchurch Art Gallery, with the re-levelling tender that will relieve stress in the building's foundations having been awarded.

With the removal of the final cordon around the red zone in the central city last weekend, I came in with my family to have a look around the newly reopened areas of the CBD. We stopped to watch the parade of soldiers who were being thanked by the Prime Minister, the Mayor of Christchurch and Kaiwhakahaere of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu for their work in controlling the central city red zone and with community welfare in the immediate aftermath of the February earthquake.

English artist Sarah Lucas was installing her show in Two Rooms, Auckland, when the 22 February earthquake struck.

Lunchtime on a shining summer's day and you head for the ruin of Christchurch Cathedral. If you get there by twelve you can usually nab one of the bench seats along the back wall, where sun buckets down through the long-gone roof and warms the stonework behind you.