Friends of Te Papa and Te Papa Foundation, in conjunction with Arts Society Wellington, are delighted to offer you this very special opportunity to here from renowned Courtauld Institute of Art lecturer and BBC contributor Dr Natalia Murray. In this talk we will take 1910 as a starting point – the year when the term […]
Forest in the sun, by renowned textile artist Joan Calvert, was created specifically for the large Tākaka marble wall of the Beehive. The abstract design evokes the experience of walking across the forest floor, looking up at the sun filtering through the canopy. Joan Calvert collaborated with weavers Jean Ngan and Dorothea Turner, who took […]
Join Victoria University Art Historian Raymond Spiteri as he discusses the development of the film practice of Len Lye, and its proximity to surrealism. While surrealism does provide one reference point for the development of his practice, Lye did not identify closely with the movement. Instead, he drew on broader currents of modernist primitivism, the interest in Freud’s writings, and the effects of mechanization in his practice, to produce an amalgam that echoed surrealist practice while maintaining a modicum of distance.
29 APRIL – 5 MAY 2024 Explore the richly historic and scenic Otago region, from its former gold rush towns to its alpine mountains and gorges, then across to the city streets, wild coasts, and heritage architecture of Dunedin, all with knowledgeable local guides. Highlights include a vintage steamer cruise on Lake Wakatipu, a 4WD tour to abandoned mining towns, lunches at a number of historic hotels and a guided walking tour of Dunedin as well as a truly memorable formal farewell dinner at a perfectly preserved Edwardian home, Olveston house.
The portrait room, Nga tai whakarongorua | Encounters, has been at the heart of Te Papa’s Toi Art galleries since their opening in 2018. We’ll be saying goodbye to these much-loved faces very soon. Join Dr Rebecca Rice, Curator Historical New Zealand Art, before the gallery closes, to hear about the ideas underpinning the exhibition, […]
Join author Richard Shaw as he takes us through his new book, The Unsettled (2024, MUP), which is based on responses he received to an earlier account of his great-grandfather’s participation in the invasion of Parihaka and the farming of confiscated land in Taranaki. Richard will reflect on the reasons why troubling aspects of our […]
By invitation to our Charter Members only, join Te Papa’s art curators for an exclusive look at new acquisitions into the national art collection.
Starting in the Toi Art galleries, visitors will then be taken to two back-of-house arts storerooms to see recently acquired artworks, photographs and design objects. Hear the stories behind these exciting and important works, and enjoy a close-up view of them in the collection stores.
Join Richard Willis, Victoria University Senior Associate, School of Geography, Environment, and Earth Sciences, as he gives us fascinating insight into the rich and varied history of Inaha Road, in South Taranaki. Beginning with the original settler iwi descended from the Aotea Waka, Ngati Ruanui and Ruahine, and the Twin Pas – Waimate and Orangi […]
Tim Christie is a New Zealand-based multi-disciplinary artist. His art practice emerged from a series of explorations where he examined the intersection between geometric design and figurative form. Starting with pure digital art his practice now includes original paintings, lightworks, weavings and immersive experiences. His unique style has been described as a modern synthesis of […]
Earlier this year, Te Papa scientists Andrew Stewart, Thom Linley and Kerry Walton, along with NIWA, were granted a rare opportunity by Ocean Census—a 21-day expedition with the singular goal of discovering as many new species as possible. After pooling their data, there was clearly an area of New Zealand’s marine environment they knew next to nothing about: the Bounty Trough, likely the world's oldest sediment transport system.
