Born of this unusual and sometimes downright trying period in our history, there has never been a time when we’ve focused more upon or recognised fully the diversity of creativity and beauty around us. Local is the new global, so delve into deep appreciation and participate in the creation of fresh perspectives on our art and artists over December and January. For those enjoying staycations this summer, the Auckland region along with our neighbouring Waikato offers lots of opportunity to see and create holiday itineraries around contemporary art works outdoors.
From 5 December
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Until 24 December
Gow Langsford Gallery
Toi Tū Toi Ora
The largest exhibition in the 132-year history of the Auckland Art Gallery, Toi Tū Toi Ora promises to be something we will be talking about for years to come. With over 300 artworks by 110 Māori artists, this landmark exhibition traces our indigenous creation story and considers new ways of thinking through and engaging with Māori art. The work of some of Aotearoa’s most celebrated artists is present, along with new names driving forward our contemporary art scene. Toi Tū Toi Ora includes a broad range of practice including clay-work, jewellery and body adornment, alongside painting, sculpture, photography, digital media, and striking new site-specific commissions. Be sure to visit the exhibition’s satellite site at Britomart where three new artworks are installed.
André Hemer, The World Outside and the Pictures in our Heads
Vienna-based New Zealand painter André Hemer is celebrated for melding the digital and the material. This new body of work records his close looking and reflections of the natural world during a European lockdown. Featuring abstracted surfaces in the vibrant colours of the rising and setting sun, The World Outside and the Pictures in Our Heads acts as an ode to circadian rhythm. Erupting with golden orange and pink that gives way to moody violet and black, Hemer’s painting traces the passage of our natural world. Each painting is timestamped via its title, suggesting that the image, like a photograph, is intended to capture and hold a specific fleeting moment.
aucklandartgallery.com
gowlangsfordgallery.co.nz
Until 19 December
Laree Payne Gallery (formerly Weasel), Hamilton
Maia McDonald and Lottie Consalvo, Two Waters: Wairua
This two-person presentation pairs local ceramicist Maia McDonald alongside Australian painter Lottie Consalvo. Creating textually rich works in earthy palettes, both artists make seductive surfaces that demonstrate artistic interaction and gestural traces. An exhibition where two distinct mediums form a counterpoint to the other, there’s a balanced and enjoyable rhythm to this trans-Tasman pairing.
weaselgallery.com
