Experience a unique opportunity to hear directly from Lissa Mitchell, Te Papa Curator Historical Documentary (Photography), the curator behind Slow Burn: Women and Photography | Ahi Tāmau: Māreikura Whakaahua, Te Papa’s major new survey exhibition celebrating the breadth and depth of photography by women and non‑binary artists in Aotearoa from the 1960s to today.

In this special session, Lissa will share the intentions, questions, and creative thinking that shaped the exhibition — from the conversations drawn between past and present to the kaupapa guiding the selection of 170 works by 50 artists. Together, we’ll spend time in the gallery exploring how these photographs speak to identity, whānau, place, and the threads of connection that stretch across generations.

Running through Slow Burn is the idea that creating takes time. These works are made with care — slow, thoughtful, and grounded in relationships with people, whenua, and photographic traditions. They are memorials and aspirations; loud and quiet; angry, beautiful, contemplative, bewildering. Above all, they reflect the extraordinary diversity of the artists who made them.

This talk offers a rare chance to step inside the curatorial process and deepen your understanding of an exhibition that asks, among other questions: What influence did the first and second waves of feminism have on photographers working today?