Tūmanako! (Hope!) is a yearly art exhibition for children and young people to express their hopes for an inclusive Aotearoa where all lives are valued, and to support a nuclear-free world. In times of conflict and division, Tūmanako! helps them learn about the root causes of violence and encourages peace.
Organised by SGINZ and supported by Wellington City Council, the exhibition was opened at Johnsonville Library Waitohi in August and is now coming to the city to be displayed across two neighbouring galleries: Thistle Hall Community Gallery and Te Whare Manaaki o Toda peace gallery - come and visit them both!
This year’s theme is inspired by a whakataukī:
Kotahi te kākano whakaaro, he nui ngā hua o te rākau houhou rongo.
One seed of thought grows the forest of peace.
CONTACT
Website: Tūmanako! - Children's Art Works for Peace
Email: gallery@sginz.org
Instagram: @whare_manaaki_o_toda
This event is part of the Aotearoa Festival of Architecture, by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects.
When Kaikoura shook, photographer Andy Spain got Wellington's list of earthquake prone buildings and started photographing them. The idea of fixing time became appealing, as many of the buildings were demolished. When asked to exhibit them together however, Andy began to ask what these remnants meant.
He visited the petals saved from Athfield's church of First Church of Christ Scientist and saw their fragility. He talked to architects about remedial work which never saw the light of day.
What were the consequences of all these traces existing in a time when the fates of many Wellington buildings are so contested? Where heritage competes with social housing, which competes with sustainable reuse, and so on.
So, this exhibition is not about the photographs that have been taken, or the drawings drawn, or the artworks saved. It is about how we decide to use these remnants, and what stories we want them to tell.
PUBLIC TALK - A Rather Queer Cuba Street
Saturday 28 September, 1 - 2pm
Cuba Street has a long history of being home to a diversity of businesses and organisations related to Takatāpui Rainbow+ communities. From the Club Exotique strip club, to the Royal Oak hotel, to Jacquie Grant’s pet shop with the masturbans monkey. While most of these establishments don’t exist anymore, some of the buildings still do – echoing a very queer past. Join the team from PrideNZ for a virtual 1-hour walk up Cuba Street, stepping into sometimes imaginary doorways, to hear first-hand stories told with voices from the PrideNZ audio collection.
FACEBOOK EVENT
INSTAGRAM
Andy Spain @andyspain_photography
New Zealand Institute of Architects Wellington Branch @nzia_wellington
Athfield Architects @athfieldarchitects
A collective of industry professionals and freelancers showcasing our personal projects beyond the workplace! Non Disclosed Artist 2024 ventures into the unknown, exploring worlds beyond our universe and alternate realities.
ARTISTS
Dana Franklin . Reynold Tagore . Skye Liu . Elaine Chong . Eva Hu . Jerome Moo . Priten Patel . Ludo Mortuus . Amit Dutta . Marnus Nagel . Andrew McCulloch . Victor Sanz Fernandez . Noah Forman . Ivan Vegar . Chantal McIlraith . Matt Katz . Hajnalka Mayor . Clark Roworth . Andreja Vuckovic . Marie Tricart . Sam Balzer . Myriam Catrin . Steven Saunders
EVENTS
Q and A + sculpting and painting demonstration
Wednesday 18 September
Q and A + sculpting and painting demo
Saturday 21 September
CONTACT
Website: www.nondisclosedartist.co.nz
Instagram: @nondisclosedartist
#NonDisclosedArtist #NonDisclosedArtist2024 #NDA #NZartist #Space #Aliens #FantasyArt #Sculpture
Cross beyond the threshold of everyday into sTations, a surrealistic meditation on the challenges of connection and intimacy found in human spirituality. Samih brings together works of graphite that are inspired by dreams and stories from his Aramaic heritage. Enter into dialogue with the figures in each piece, as they desire or fear connection with you, and unravel their dance between light and shadow.
Images:
Samih Zaia, The Christ of Aaru, after Salvador Dali, The Christ of Saint John of the Christ
Samih Zaia, Yichud
Discover Elja Maria's solo exhibition in Wellington, a profound exploration of life's transient beauty. Symbolism in her iconic peonies, cherry blossoms, and animals aligns with the essential aspects of street art and graffiti. Highlights include No Fight, No Glory, depicting a classic Japanese character with spray cans, and A Dedication to My Spiritual Practice, a small painting of a spray can.
A 15-minute documentary about the graffiti scene in Java adds depth to the collection, sharing lessons from her global travels. This exhibition invites art lovers, creatives, and collectors to reflect on impermanence and engage in meaningful conversations about life's fleeting moments.
ARTIST TALK: Tuesday 3 September, 6pm
CONTACT
Website: www.eljamaria.com
Instagram: @eljamaria
Facebook: Elja Maria
Youtube: @EljaMaria_BasicStudio
#EverythingIsImpermanent #EljaMaria #WellingtonArt
Welcome to my cabinet of curiosities, where whimsy and horror live side by side. Taxidermy, sculptures, photography and more!
CONTACT
Instagram: @danthesteampunkman
For 25 years Stantiall's Studio have created architectural perspectives and illustrations. Initially on watercolour board from a traditional set up until the advent of computers, these works enable architects, urban designers and the construction sector to visualise proposed building, urban and landscape projects. Celebrating this milestone the Directors Ian Stantiall and Chrissy Hill, are mounting an exhibition from this body of commissioned work, alongside pieces from their own collections, featuring ink and wash sketches, mono prints and oil on canvas.
Ian’s early architectural practice has influenced his personal works with a focus on structure and landscape. Chrissy’s observational studies on canvas reflect the built environment with her take on urban neighbourhoods realised through patterns and colour.
In curating In Perspective - together & apart we have used the analogy of perspective, vanishing point and converging lines to reflect the two of us being together but also apart (and into infinity).
CONTACT
Website: www.stantiallstudio.com
Instagram: @stantiallstudio
#StantiallStudio #Chrissy.Hill
A Dark Sky Reserve is an internationally recognised area for viewing and protecting the night skies. Aotearoa is home to five of these celestial realms allowing us to see into the darkness.
I have always been drawn to wild, remote places where earth, ocean, and sky integrate and overwhelm the senses. It’s a visceral thing, embedded deep in the DNA I share with my Scottish ancestors.
These paintings are a kind of portal into those worlds that I hold in my memory and my heart.
CONTACT
Email: prudencedonaldwest@gmail.com
Instagram: @prue_donald_paintings
#DarkSkyReserve
As a 24-year-old woman navigating the complexities of life and the journey of growing up, I have found that mixed media art provides me with a powerful means to creatively delve into and visualize the various challenges I encounter.
Through my art, I explore deeply personal and societal issues such as; sexism, navigating friendships and relationships, grappling with mental health, and coping with the inevitable struggles and transformations that life brings.
Each art piece I have created in INDVDL serves as a visual narrative; capturing the nuances and emotions of these experiences, offering both a cathartic outlet for myself and a way to provoke thought and conversation among viewers.
CONTACT
Instagram: @indvdljjg
Email: indvdljjg@gmail.com
KANOHI ORA – THE LIVING FACE showcases the connection between past, present, and future through the lens of indigenous portraiture. The exhibition narrates the ancestral journey from Hawaiki Nui to the present, exploring the essence of Tahitian culture and its significance in Polynesian heritage. It is a series of portraits by Te Māreikura Whakataka-Brightwell that connect us to history, land, and people, portraying Tahitians as cultural aristocrats and ancestors living in the present.
The exhibition aims to evoke a sense of awe, longing, and cultural pride, encouraging visitors to explore their own whakapapa and embrace indigenous identity. Through this collection, Te Māreikura revitalises the art of portraiture, presenting a narrative that honours the resilience and beauty of indigenous cultures, while promoting a reconnection with one's roots and heritage.
EVENTS
Thursday 25 July: 6 - 8pm
KANOHI ORA - The Living Face Panel Discussion
Chair Kararaina Te Ira, alongside distinguished panelists Dr. Huhana Smith, Dr. Pauline Reynolds, and Te Māreikura, will share their invaluable insights on the pivotal role of art in narrating the journey of wayfinding and migration across the Pacific.
Saturday 27 July: 6 - 8pm
KANOHI ORA - The Living Face Tahitian Extravaganza evening
An evening of exuberance, vibrance and expression to celebrate KANOHI ORA - The Living Face and what it represents. Featuring Kellian Mutlu, premiere Tahitian dancer from O Tahiti E.
CONTACT
Website: www.temareikura.com
Email: mareikura.brightwell@gmail.com
Instagram: @te_mareikura
Facebook: Te Māreikura
#Tahiti #KanohiOra #TheLivingFace #Te_Mareikura #Portraiture #Photography
Oil paintings by Ashraf Pirnia and photography by Pedram Pirnia
Art the SDGs is a dynamic week-long exhibition that leverages the power of photography and oil paintings to spotlight global issues aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through visual art, the exhibition aims to inspire community engagement and action toward achieving these goals.
EVENT
Wednesday 17 July: 5.30 - 7pm
Explore art's impact on societal change through discussions on the topic,moderated by Joy Dunsheath MNZM JP.
CONTACT
Instagram: @ashraf_pirnia_gallery
Instagram: @pedram.pernia
Website: www.pedrampirnia.com/
STRANGE HOME presents creative architectural experiments in the strangeness of home. Master’s students from Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, were invited to record strange, everyday, absurd aspects of home and distill these observations as architectures of strangeness.
Students looked at detailed miniature events that make up a particular aspect of home life, such as navigating a dark corridor in the middle of the night, from bedroom to bathroom, the tangled forms of bedclothes during a restless sleep—or explorations of home’s more-than-human aspects: dynamics of lost keys, record collections, the spatial movements of house pets. They used creative practice techniques—drawing, modelling and writing—to distill the strangeness of these worlds into speculative, strange homes. The work presents unique views on home, how it might be understood, or even intentionally misunderstood, if home’s strangeness was given free reign.
CLOSING EVENT
Friday 12 July 5:30pm
Thistle Hall Community Gallery is closed this week for our twice-yearly spruce up and repaint.
This gallery maintenance keeps our walls fresh and tidy for all exhibitors, and is funded by the 10% commission on exhibitors sales.
#YourTenPercent
The Everyday People photo exhibition is presented by ChangeMakers Resettlement Forum as part of the World Refugee Week celebrations.
ChangeMakers is a grassroots refugee led NGO which works to support the full participation of refugee background communities in life here in Aotearoa New Zealand. While the media often portrays the refugee community as helpless and dependent, this exhibition aims to change that narrative. Through a series of captivating photographs by Ehsan Hazaveh, we are privileged to share in the daily lives and quiet moments of Wellingtonians from refugee backgrounds as they work, study, play and spend time with friends and family. This exhibition represents people from diverse ethnic and sociocultural backgrounds, and showcases how they, (each in their own way) participate, contribute, and enrich societal life in Aotearoa. We sincerely thank those people of refugee background who have participated in the development of this exhibition.
Read more about ChangeMakers Resettlement Forum
Facebook: Changemakers Resettlement Forum
Through the unconventional choice of spray paint, this series encapsulates the vibrancy and unexpected elegance of daily life in Wellington. This technique sheds light on the oft-overlooked medium, elevating its potential to convey the intricate dance between order and accident.
CONTACT
Instagram: @nathanielbellart
Email: nathaniel.adam.bell@gmail.com
Circling Back is a relaxing exhibition of original black and white ink mandala art from Wellington based artist Mike Pethig.
Each hand-crafted piece has been created as a form of meditation for Mike and has been drawn with remarkable care and attention.Art available will include a range of original framed A3 pieces, a suite of affordable original A4 and A5 pieces, a wide selection of card prints and a
select number of Mike's beautiful German colouring-in book Das Ausmalcafé (The Colouring Café).
CONTACT
Website: www.macromicro.co.nz
Instagram: @macromicroart
Facebook: Macromicro Art
Global Wood Rework invites all its wonderful supporters & patrons to its first exhibition for ten years.
Global Wood Rework was started in 2011 AD with the aim of stopping as much timber as possible going into the Wellington landfill.
CONTACT
Facebook: Global Wood Rework
Website: www.globalwoodrework.com
FACEBOOK EVENT
Handcrafted Mosaic Stained Glass Art - Vino Martyn
I started working with glass in 2010 as a hobby wanting to express my inspirations, thoughts, experiences and the world around me in the form of mosaic stained glass art. I have a story behind every piece of work I have produced. Each piece of glass is cut and shaped to size by hand and placed to form a unique picture that relates my thoughts.
Fashion Jewellery - Lindsay Park
I’m a contemporary jewellery artist based in Wellington. My work is unique as it relates to elements of biodiversity, our natural environment and popular culture that is found in Aotearoa. For this exhibition I’m working with shells, feathers and other natural elements that celebrate Aotearoa’s maritime aspects and our unique avifauna.
Between You and Me is an exhibition by three Wellington artists. We all work differently, so there is a lot for you to see and enjoy. We would love to meet with you and share our love of art.
The artists are contributors to the Dhan Karunai Illam, a home for disadvantaged children in south India, founded by Wellingtonian, Jean Watson. Ten percent of the proceeds of exhibition sales will go to the Illam children.
CONTACT
Elizabeth Harcourt
Website: elizabethharcourt.com
Email: elizabethgharcourt@gmail.com
Instagram: @elizabethkarori
Sankar Ramasamy
Email: sankarramasamy09@gmail.com
Margaret-Anne Barnett
Email: margaretannebarnett@gmail.com
Instagram: @mabarnett.art
Welcome to my exhibition Love for Colours. I am a visual artist and author. My works are inspired by Nature. I primarily use rich, bright, vibrant colour pallet, as loving colours. People said, my works reflect joy, giving a visual healing. It is proven that the colours affect us the people, giving particular vibes and mood. I think through my art I spread happy vibes. Hope, you enjoy seeing my artworks! Thank you.
CONTACT
Website: www.nataliaturina.com
Instagram: @natalia_turina_art
#NataliaTurina