New Zealand’s art has made its splash in London with the opening of the Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy this month to mark 250 years since Captain Cook’s first voyage of discovery in the Pacific. The exhibition celebrates the diversity of art from the region – from traditional to contemporary.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex views an exhibit as she opens ‘Oceania’ at Royal Academy of Arts on 25 September 2018 in London, England. ‘Oceania’ is the first-ever major survey of Oceanic art to be held in the United Kingdom. Photo by: Arthur Edwards – WPA Pool/Getty Images
However, if you’re not in London for this ground-breaking exhibition we have a round-up of the best places to see New Zealand art in New Zealand.
From contemporary Māori rock carvings in Lake Taupō, to street art in Christchurch and Dunedin or the traditional Pacific motifs embraced by the celebrated Kiwi artist Gordon Walters. New Zealand boasts a thriving and boundary-pushing art scene.
Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tamaki occupies one of Auckland’s iconic buildings with its blend of heritage and contemporary architecture. It showcases the best of NZ’s art with the largest permanent collection in the country. Head there for a good overview of NZ art.
Maori rock carvings depicting Ngatoro-i-rangi, the visionary Maori navigator who guided the Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to the Taupo area a thousand years ago. Photo by: Alizada Studios/Shutterstock
Also on the North Island, the Len Lye Centre, built in honour of its namesake Len Lye a pioneering filmmaker and kinetic sculptor. It is New Zealand’s first institution dedicated to a single artist and provides a permanent home for Lye’s body of work. Designed by architect Andrew Patterson, the centre is a magnet for photographers and echoes Len Lye’s use of metal in many of his sculptures. Next door the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery is one of NZ’s best regional art galleries putting Taranaki on the must-see list.
Opened in 2018, Toi Art at Te Papa in Wellington is a game changer for the New Zealand art scene and is predicted to attract 1.5 million visitors per year. Toi Art features works by contemporary artists such as Auckland based sculptor Michael Parekowhai; the socially inclusive artist Tiffany Singh; New Zealand geometric painter Jeena Shin; Māori-Samoan-Niuean visual artist, Janet Lilo; and Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi.
Pedestrians walking past Large siver sculptures outsde the Te papa museum Wellington, South Island, New Zealand. Photo by Lisa Wiltse/Corbis via Getty Images
The giant Mine Bay Māori rock carving of Ngātoroirangi – a visionary Māori navigator who guided the Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to the Taupō area over a thousand years ago – has been hailed as one of New Zealand’s most extraordinary contemporary Māori artworks. Towering 10m above the deep waters of Lake Taupō, the carving has become one of the North Island’s biggest tourist attractions. One you can only visit in a boat or canoe.
Oceania is running from now until 10th December 2018 at the Royal Academy of Arts London
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