On Now
Living Archives
25 October 2025 –
8 March 2026
Pauline Rhodes Land Extensums, Banks Peninsula March 1989. Print from 35mm slide. Collection of the artist
Archives that tell stories about artists and history in Aotearoa.
Delving into art and archives from the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū collections, Living Archives charts personal stories about artists and history in Aotearoa. By drawing on the legacy of art historians Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, Julie King and Karen Stevenson, the exhibition focuses on intergenerational relationships, artistic lineage and creative networks.
Featuring works by Mark Adams and Areta Wilkinson, Colleen Anstey and Bronwyn Judge, Tungane Broadbent and Vereara Maeva-Taripo, Xin Cheng, Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas, Emma Fitts, Lonnie Hutchinson, Ana Iti, Paul Johns, Colin McCahon, Julia Morison, Buck Nin, Nina Oberg Humphries, Ōtautahi Weavers, Johnny Penisula, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, Pauline Rhodes, Peter Robinson, Ella Sutherland, Ngataiharuru Taepa, Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, Andy Warhol, and archival materials from Rosemary Johnson.
My Gallery
Collection works in this exhibition
Installation Images
Upcoming Event
Works selected by Jonathan Mane-Wheoki
30 January
For the first Art Bite of the year, join curator Melanie Oliver as she discusses works selected by art historian Jonathan Mane-Wheoki on display in Living Archives on the first floor.
Collection works in this exhibition (17)
Green Valley
Buck Nin
Seeing Like a Forest
Xin Cheng
Kaute (Hibiscus)
Tungane Broadbent, Vereara Maeva-Taripo
Makato'a (Stone Warrior)
Filipe Tohi
Living Rock 1
Johnny Penisula
Comb (black)
Lonnie Hutchinson
Avaiki
Nina Oberg Humphries
Mask V
Kura Te Waru Rewiri
Amalgame 48
Julia Morison
Aroha Atu, Aroha Mai
Ōtautahi Weavers
Treasures Left by Our Ancestors
Ana Iti
Cascade
Peter Robinson
Tomorrow will be the same but not as this is
Colin McCahon
Manet assis, tourné à droite
Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas
Te Mahara
Ngataiharuru Taepa
Blouse and Trousers for Olivia Spencer Bower
Emma Fitts
Mao Tse-Tung
Andy Warhol
Related
Director's Foreword
Director's Foreword
Welcome to the summer issue of Bulletin. The last few months have held some big moments for the Gallery. A particular highlight was the launch of our new exhibition Whāia Te Taniwha, accompanied by a day of talks, tours and storytelling, and followed by Te Pō Taniwha, a fantastic night of art and music. It was wonderful to see so many people in the Gallery enjoying themselves and engaging with this terrific show.
Interview
Living Archives
Archives are collections of knowledge used to tell stories about artists and history. By drawing on the legacy of art historians Jonathan Mane-Wheoki, Julie King and Karen Stevenson, Living Archives focuses on intergenerational relationships, artistic lineage and creative networks. Gallery librarian and archivist Tim Jones and curator Melanie Oliver sat down to talk about archives and art history as they prepared for this exhibition.
Commentary
Finding Barry Cleavin
Exploring and documenting the contents of Barry Cleavin’s archive in the Robert and Barbara Stewart Library and Archives was both a novel and an invaluable experience for me.
Article
Reflections on riches
While the Gallery may be closed, our archive collections continue to develop. As I write, three aspects of managing an archive are happening simultaneously. We are adding new material, cataloguing it, and assisting a researcher to use the archive. All the challenges and pleasures of archive management are on the table.
Exhibition
Spiral Collectives
A closer look at the publications of the influential women's group Spiral Collectives.
Exhibition
Season's Greetings
A selection of Christmas cards created by distinguished local artists.