The Central Art Gallery

The Central Art Gallery The Central offers a beautiful and welcoming space to purchase and browse contemporary NZ art. The Central connects artists and the community.

Located in the old Library in the Arts Centre, The Central offers a beautiful and welcoming space that brings people and art together. Our philosophy is to create an uplifting gallery experience, demystifying the journey, and elevating the art. We show established contemporary New Zealand artists with a desirable body of work, whilst always keeping our experienced eye on aspiring artists of the fu

ture. We value enjoyment through learning and will educate, challenge and seek to bring art into everyday conversations. In its renowned venue, The Central hosts exhibition openings, private events, and arts groups. We welcome everyone to view our everchanging artist exhibitions as well the extensive stock room. Stay a while, perhaps taking a seat in our reading area, relax and enjoy the experience of great art.

Inspiration from the South!💙With two weeks left to go, our ‘Southward’ exhibition is proving popular! Twenty artists exp...
05/09/2026

Inspiration from the South!💙

With two weeks left to go, our ‘Southward’ exhibition is proving popular! Twenty artists explore themes and subject matter inspired by the pristine Subantarctic Islands and their southward journeys.

Following in the footsteps of the first Aotearoa-supported travel of artists to the Subantarctics in 1989—a cohort of artists including Bill Hammond, Laurence Aberhart, and Janet de Wagt—Heritage Expeditions continue this support today with their Artist in Residency berths. Of that first journey, as is still true today, Lou Sanson recalls ‘the key artistic inspiration being, here was one last remaining place on the planet where nature remained beyond the reach of humans - the birds were in charge; seeing off various attempts at colonisation, farming, whaling and regular shipwrecks.’

1. Southward exhibition install
2. Kiran McKinnon, ‘Sea of Stars’
3. Anna Dalzell, ‘Antipodean Gothic’
4. Nicolas Dillon, ‘In the land of Bulbinella’
5. Clare Reilly, ‘Standing His Ground’
6. Wayne Vickers, ‘Untamed - Snares Island impressions’

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

nzartist nzpainting nzpainter theartscentrechch Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre Christchurch Kiran McKinnon Painter/Mother Anna Dalzell Nicolas Dillon Wayne Vickers

With meticulous and pared back detail, Hamish Allan transports us to Campbell Island in the Subantarctic.With clear blue...
30/08/2026

With meticulous and pared back detail, Hamish Allan transports us to Campbell Island in the Subantarctic.

With clear blue skies and only a hint of cumulus cloud building to the left, Hamish’s stylised painting, ‘Beeman Cove,’ depicts a Campbell Island S**g flying steadily above the island’s Beeman Cove jetty, while another perches comfortably atop a jetty piling. A layered view of the bush-covered island sandwiched between calm seas, forms a simultaneous sea and aerial view. This dual view creates an otherworldliness, heightening the sense of space and serenity, anchored and tempered by the very real and recognisable green and yellow DoC colour scheme of the jetty shed’s doors.

The Campbell Island S**g is endemic to Campbell Island and is one of six pink-footed s**g species endemic to New Zealand, making it a rare and special sight. Beeman Cove is situated in Perseverance Harbour, Campbell Island—New Zealand’s most southern subantarctic island, now uninhabited and a nature reserve—forming part of the Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku Historic Area, established in 1956.

Hamish Allan
‘Beeman Cove,’ 2026
Acrylic on linen
940 x 940mm, fr.
NZD$15,000

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

.allan.artist

Mike Crawford’s show-stopping glass sculpture, ‘Mātātā (Tini Heke),’ is currently on display in our ‘Southward’ exhibiti...
29/08/2026

Mike Crawford’s show-stopping glass sculpture, ‘Mātātā (Tini Heke),’ is currently on display in our ‘Southward’ exhibition.

Depending on the light of the day—diffused in our beautiful big window bay—‘Mātātā (Tini Heke)’ glows between vibrant golds and deep muted ochres. Each pleat of glass offers a different surface for light to interact, creating a striking form; richness of colour; and a dynamic flow of movement from beak to tail.

The inspiration for ‘Mātātā (Tini Heke)’ came to Mike on his trip to Tini Heke, Snares Islands with Heritage Expeditions in 2021 where he encountered New Zealand’s native fernbird, Mātātā; “I was lucky enough to spot one of these birds on a rocky outcrop. Such a tiny bird in such a rugged environment. You cannot help but be amazed at their resilience”.

Mike Crawford
‘Mātātā (Tini Heke),’ 2026
Cast Gaffer glass in ch*****ne
265 x 410 x 205mm
NZD$15,000

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

nzartist nzsculpture nzsculptor theartscentrechch Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre Christchurch Mike Crawford

Art and science unite in Peter James Smith’s ‘Counting the Waves of the Sea,’ created specifically for ‘Southward.’Peter...
23/08/2026

Art and science unite in Peter James Smith’s ‘Counting the Waves of the Sea,’ created specifically for ‘Southward.’

Peter expresses his uniquely informative style through paintings rich in narrative and meaning. An expressive realist landscape from Macquarie Island, overlaid with data from the tide and wave frequencies recorded in May 2026. The juxtaposition of the traditional scene and scientific text throws out a challenge to science.

Peter previously held dual roles as both a Professor of Mathematics and Art and Head of the School of Creative Media at RMIT University. He was awarded the Antarctic New Zealand Visiting Artist Fellow and spent a summer at Scott Base following his retirement in 2009.

Peter James Smith
‘Counting the Waves of the Sea,’ 2026
Oil on linen
610 x 1220mm
NZD$12,500

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

“‘Elemental’ is a whimsical figment of an encounter with a wild free creature.”Alison Erickson, a predominantly self-tau...
21/08/2026

“‘Elemental’ is a whimsical figment of an encounter with a wild free creature.”

Alison Erickson, a predominantly self-taught artist, draws inspiration from her journey to the Subantarctic Islands with Heritage Expeditions in 2020. A place far south of New Zealand where birds are in charge and the environment is untouched by human intervention. “The ocean and the air and bird were like lovers,” Alison thought. Despite the human desire to intrude, the birdlife has thrived. Alison captures the humbling experience of encountering the extraordinarily elegant birdlife and recognising how insignificant humans are in the vastness of their place.

Alison Erickson
‘Elemental,’ 2026
Bronze
525 x 310 x 160mm
NZD$7,500

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

Greer Clayton’s ‘Journey’s End’ is framed like a ship’s porthole, inspired by her trip to the Subantarctic Islands in 20...
20/08/2026

Greer Clayton’s ‘Journey’s End’ is framed like a ship’s porthole, inspired by her trip to the Subantarctic Islands in 2019.

‘Journey’s End’ represents how Greer gazed through the ship’s porthole as they approached their first stop, Campbell Island. Her 2019 trip to the Subantarctic Islands inspired a shift in Greer’s practice, focusing not on topographical representation but on capturing the essence of place. Greer achieves this through soft moody colours which pull the viewer in towards the landscape. Layers of light break through abstracted landforms, offering a hint of what is real and what is mystical and felt.

Greer Clayton
‘Journey’s End,’ 2026
Acrylic on canvas
1000mm diameter
NZD$11,000

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

For decades, one of New Zealand’s most pre-eminent sculptors, Bing Dawe, has been encouraging us all to engage with our ...
20/08/2026

For decades, one of New Zealand’s most pre-eminent sculptors, Bing Dawe, has been encouraging us all to engage with our environment.

Using his well-established art practice, Bing continually raises awareness of the natural world around us and the often unacknowledged plight many species face from human industry, activity, and intervention. In his ‘Southward’ exhibition sculptural piece, ‘Soaring with Giants, Storm Petrel - Southern Ocean,’ Bing captures a storm petrel in flight; its strong but delicately webbed feet ready to patter and dance across the ocean’s surface as it fishes for food. On Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Island, storm petrel nest in soil burrows, or rock crevices, making them highly vulnerable to mammalian predators like mice, rats, and cats.

While humans can land on some subantarctic islands it is only via heavily regulated commercial cruises and journeys—as with Heritage Expeditions—or strictly monitored via entry permits issued by authorities like Department of Conservation, protecting island-dwelling species, like the storm petrel, from introduced predators and habitat destruction. Avian predators, like the giant petrel and subantarctic skua, currently pose the greatest natural threat to storm petrel breeding in the subantarctic.

Bing Dawe
‘Soaring with Giants, Storm Petrel - Southern Ocean,’ 2026
Bronze and steel rod
620 x 380 x 240mm
NZD$10,500

For all enquiries please email [email protected], message us on social media, or enquire through our website via the link in our bio above.

‘Southward’ exhibition is a debut collaboration with Heritage Expeditions and is open until Saturday 19th September.

A percentage of proceeds from all exhibition artwork sales will be donated to the ‘Wandering Albatross Research Programme, Subantarctic Islands,’ established by Dr. Graeme Elliot and Dr. Kath Walker.

Southward exhibition is opening tonight, Friday 7th August at 5:30pm.Please allow extra time for parking, as there will ...
07/08/2026

Southward exhibition is opening tonight, Friday 7th August at 5:30pm.

Please allow extra time for parking, as there will be multiple events on site, at The Arts Centre, tonight.

Please no dogs as we anticipate this opening will be a busy one.

We are looking forward to seeing you tonight!

Address

The Library Building, The Arts Centre, 2 Worcester Boulevard
Christchurch
8011

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+6433663318

Website

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