NUWAO stands for Nature-based Urban design for Wellbeing and Adaptation in Oceania. We are a group of academic researchers and designers working on this three-year NUWAO project which is funded through the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Grant.
Our aim is to develop nature-based urban design solutions, rooted in indigenous knowledge that support climate change adaptation and individual and community wellbeing in different contexts across Aotearoa and Oceania.
As part of this research, we facilitated an International Design Competition and sent a call out to design professionals and practitioners, university students, youth/ rangatahi and the general public to participate in envisioning how to develop innovative nature based urban design solutions rooted in indigenous knowledge. Getting people to imagine a happier and healthier way of living that supported the resilience of community and our ecologies. We invited submissions of urban design, landscape design, architecture, temporary structures, interior architecture, public infrastructure, and buildings. The brief was intentionally broad to allow a range of visionary approaches and design ideas across different scales. The geographic scope for this competition was focused on urban areas of Oceania in particular our case study locations which included Port Vila (Vanuatu), Apia (Samoa), Tarawa (Kiribati), Te Awakairangi (Lower Hutt) and Ōtepoti (Aotearoa New Zealand).
We had approximately 80 entries that were submitted, a big task for our esteemed judges Dr Huhana Smith, Dr Rebecca Kiddle and Lama Tone they managed to select a total of 14 winners 3 from each of our categories as well as awarding 5 Special mentions. So many fantastic ideas came from this International Design Competition that will help to understand the issues that need to be addressed in urban areas of Oceania as well as capturing the collective imagination and innovative and creative solutions regarding how we might adapt to climate change. Which is why we thought it essential to share this through the form of an exhibition at Thistle Hall. We also have an array of portraits with QR codes attached that will direct you to some fantastic kōrero with people that are passionate about this mahi, all sharing their perspectives, and expertise.
Impulses exhibition explores electronic social media sub cultures, human connections and ways in which technology enables people to express another part of themselves.
Rachie Campbell & VJ Cubeman’s collaboration takes you on a journey combining traditional art making with digital art, UV and installation to present their kaleidoscope exploration taking the viewer into another world that’s usually shut away.
Opening Night
Thursday 5.30-10pm
Live Neon Body Painting
https://fb.me/e/4poMQCsVn
Ertotica Art Market
Saturday 27th May
3-8pm
https://www.instagram.com/rachie_campbell/
https://www.instagram.com/vjcubeman/
https://www.rachiecampbell.com
https://www.facebook.com/VJCubeman
https://www.facebook.com/rachiecampbellcolours/
Captain and Dog is an illustrated story of Wellington.
We are a husband-and-wife collaboration. The exhibition is inspired by interesting characters that have roamed into our shop, Fin Clothing, over the past 30 years.
The Captain and Dog book is out for sale.
Live reading on the 16th of May at 7 pm. Live reading at different times throughout the week. This will be advertised throughout the day.
Look for the Facebook event page under Sue Reynolds Moar. Captain and Dog. fin-clothing@fin-clothing.co.nz 021311246 or 0220774854
Exhibitors:
Clark Roworth
Sam Balzer
Amit Dutta
Gabriel Romero
Ben Dellabarca
Nathan Tucker
Nick Fields
This Exhibition will showcase artwork from 7 Wellington based artists that blurs the lines between the surreal and the real; the sublimely fantastical and the gritty everyday. Themes of mental health and resilience may also feature throughout.
Classical representational art skills have become quite undervalued in contemporary/modern art and in formal art education. We hope to show that imagination and creativity, expressed through the use of strong representational art skills, are as valid and relevant as conceptual and abstract.
@i_a_mit
@clarkroworth
@sam_balzer_art
@gaboleps
@dellabarca_art
@dizeart
@nick.fields.art
Wildfire: a series of paintings by Wellington artist Rachel Radford.
Initially inspired by the gorgeous sunsets that were caused by the Australian wildfires, Rachel has continued to be inspired by skycapes that result from wildfires that have surfaced in the media.
Tapping into themes of climate change and the human impact on the world, Rachel has found the beauty in some of these heavy themes, and highlights how we can continue to remember and face these events even when they no longer appear in our feeds.
These works are consistent with her energetic painterly style, and leverage gold leaf elegantly.
Facebook event website instagram
#wildfirepaintingexhibition
Following on from her sold out show in October 2021, Peeps at Nature, Emily is again exhibiting her gorgeous, funny collages in What’s wrong with this picture?
Emily will be showing a wide range of collage sizes, including cards and framed and unframed pieces.
10 percent of the sales will go towards Cyclone Gabrielle flood relief. Emily is looking forward to having an opening night this time around as Covid restrictions meant she was unable to have one for Peeps at Nature.
#collage
Emilys solo exhibition of abstract collages is inspired by Wellington land and cityscapes. Depictions of inner city scenery, distant hills, and natural environments are interpreted within a minimal palette creating familiar vistas for the viewer to discover. Emily uses repetitive patterns and shapes to create uniformity in her works; blending monochromatic collage with mixed media such as ink and thread to create textural layered works.
Instagram contact by email
#emilyharrisart #collageart #abstractwellington
I have been captivated by the beauty of New Zealand for the past seven years, and I am delighted to share my work today. I wish it was an invitation to experience the poetry of the Living.
Each image is the result of a deep and introspective conversation, much like the ones you might have with a tree if you take the time to listen, or with a river if you allow yourself to be immersed in its flow. I have an unwavering tenderness for all living things and strive to capture their essence.
Some pieces aim to recreate a specific moment, with an abstract rendering. Others showcase the harmony of lines, through drawing or engraving.
I delight in surrendering control and welcoming the unexpected moments that emerge during the creative process. Although my artwork may not reflect this sense of chaos, it is present within each piece I create.
#clodamicoprintings
#clodamicopaintings
#clodamicodrawings
Colour plays a big part in my life. I love using a lot of paint in my work and clearly have my favourite colours. Influenced by nature , my paintings are created from my feelings and thoughts towards the ocean and the birds. Lines and layering are also important to me.
@aleciakoe
“Capturing people in their places is one of the most beautiful and fascinating things I've ever achieved. I love stepping back from a painting and recognising their expression, the specific way their hair falls, the creases by their eyes, and the way their cheeks blush when they smile. I love imperfections painted perfectly because these are what make us human.”
People Watching 2023 is young artist Jessica Gurnsey’s first-ever solo exhibition. After becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Adam Portraiture Award in 2022, Jessica has built up a collection of original acrylic on canvas portraits that capture the chaos, details, and emotion of everyday people in their places.
This event is free entry, running for one week only! Originals and limited edition prints are available for purchase.
Website Exhibition page Email Instagram - @jessicagurnseyart
hastags
#whatsonwellington #emergingartist
#exhibitionwellington
Opening: live musical performance by Sam Leamy and Neil Johnstone, 5.00pm - 9.00pm
‘Mysterium tremendum et fascinans’, or a terrible and fascinating mystery is the way 20th century scholar Rudolf Otto described his conception of the ‘numinous’ - an encounter with otherworldliness that is the base of religious or spiritual experience. The Mystery is a point of ontological tension, a liminal space of encounter where one moves from the territory of the known into the unknown. This exhibition emerges from the premise that art functions in exactly the same way. Three artists from disparate parts of Aoterora, though all with a link to Pōneke, navigate between abstraction and signification as a gesture towards forming a meaningful link between the mundane and the metaphysical. The works resonate together as the individual voices seek to describe the same ineffable territory, speaking to the metaphysical threads that weave communities and cultures together across both space and time.
Mysterium tremendum et fascinans Link to CubaDupa Festival Programme
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Sound Baths during Cuba Dupa
With a series very specially curated Sound Baths during the Cuba Dupa weekend, 1.00pm - 3.00pm, featuring Neil Johnstone, Zachary Winterwood , Holly Winterwood, Sam Leamy, Stephen Clothier, Brendan Jon Philip and Steve Burridge. Sounds to lose yourself in, ambient music to luxuriate in, a truly immersive sonic experience.
Soundbaths Link to Festival Programme
Album Release
And to top it off we will be releasing an album linked into the ideas explored in the exhibition from East Cape Calling
Again a very mellow ambient piece.
CityscapeNZ 9999 is an exhibition of object art by Palmerston North based visual artist Jonny Kan centred around a re-imagining of the Manawatū city. The exhibition includes many retrospective collections and explores the depths of Jonny's world view living in the world with a head injury.
Jonny Kan is an artist living and working in Papaioea/Palmerston North. He has been an award winner at the IHC art awards and has work in private collections around New Zealand.
Jonny at Snails Artist Run Space in Palmy Facebook Contact email
Vintage images of skateboarders photographed in the 1980s. Including photographs of professional skateboarders such as Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero, Chris Miller, Lee Ralph and many more. Displaying fine art prints, photo books, tees, skate coasters & slide show.
Over a period of 3-4 years I have been working on a series of figurative paintings based loosely on life drawings, both here in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom. The paintings are all oil and charcoal on paper (156cmx122cm).
Facebook: steven.hemmens.5
Welcome to the launch and exhibition of this new chapter as an emerging ‘creative’.
Ever since I can remember I’ve been drawn to colour, texture and pattern in the world around me and how its presence enriches life. During the Covid lockdown, as a distraction from the dark cloud and mayhem being caused by the pandemic, I rediscovered my love of creativity and its healing qualities. We can’t underestimate the power and value of a little whimsy to counter balance the more serious side of life.
Catz Designz are a fine balance between simplicity and complex detail. Stylized yet exacting. Made from carefully selected papers designed by talented Australian and American designers the materials conjure the impression of fabric and reflections of nature. The created works are understated and unexpected. With the addition of a feather here, some glitz there and lots of imagination they become enchanting and even exotic!
These creative collages provide a vehicle for people of all ages to escape reality, albeit for a moment during this exhibition, or longer if a work finds its way into someone’s home or workspace. Then a little magic shared can ripple out into the community having had a positive effect.
Artists: Dennis Berdinner, Leo Semau, Arawhetu Berdinner, Tai Berdinner-Blades & Eva Yocum
Artists will be present through the duration of the exhibition and available for discussion.
We are artists and makers who are connected by blood or marriage. This show explores how people and creativity thrive when given the space and appreciation to do so within a family.
Our exhibition features sculpture, mahi toi, paintings, clay works, ceramics and mixed media. Diverse in expression, our work walks between art and craft. What ties us together is simple yet multilayered - whānau.
Our family intersects across cultures - Pākehā, Māori and Samoan. We stretch out our branches as step-parents/daughters, in-laws and siblings with different mothers. We are a Venn-diagram of interconnecting relationships. Our work reflects the connection, influence and bonds we share.
Contact: Dennis Berdinner, Leo Semau, Arawhetu Berdinner & Eva Yocum
Tai Berdinner-Blades: @fable_ceramics, www.fableceramics.com
Arawhetu Berdinner: @arawhetu
For thousands of years, parts of Aotearoa have been shifting upwards through a seismic process of uplifting land. This monumental process reveals to those of us above land what was previously hidden underwater.
Powerful earthquakes around the years 600, 1000, 1400 and, most recently in 1855 have created a unique aspect and stunning coastal landscape - they have created te whanganui-a-tara & the south coast. The current state of this dynamic landform allows people almost complete access around a coastline that once would have been dotted with islands.
I run, walk, bike & drive these surroundings and the visual information has embedded itself as a point of inspiration in my work. This visual manifestation of our evolving geological DNA is the foundation of the work created for my recent show.
Exploring a range of approaches and media to express these visually compelling surroundings and the climatic and elemental effects that weather them, I seek to tell the stories of the continued creation and recreation of our coastal environment through the earth’s constantly restless upheaval.
An exhibition of limited edition, archival, giclee prints of original photography. Featuring landscapes of the Wairarapa, Wellington, and Bay of Islands, including an extended panorama of Wellington Harbour after sunset, and a series of fine art nudes, including portraits, environmental portraits, and formal and allegorical studies, taken over many years in locations ranging from the Wairarapa to the Cycladic Islands.
Also on display is the recently published 'The Nude: Insight & Imagination', a photographic study of twenty-eight women, aged mid-twenties to fifties, who use nudity for artistic expression and whom I have been privileged to know and to photograph. Many of them are featured in the framed works in the exhibition.
The nude - insight & imagination
Photo Chop the Exhibition is the Art of Collage. Collage can be described as anything adhered to anything else. Most often paper and card, but the possibilities are endless!
WORKSHOP:
From Wednesday to Sunday - Come and make your own collage for free. All materials provided.
Newtown, New Form is a collection of student works that propose formal relationships between a place, Newtown, and architecture. Design interventions on the same site in Newtown are explored, in order to collectively express different creative ideas through a range of creative media. Paintings, furniture, drawings, photography, and design collectively inform ideas surrounding colour, ways of making, adaptive reuse, and light & connectivity. Our exhibition aims to provoke discussion surrounding the future of architecture and urbanity in our cities.