Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū

16/09/2026

Join us this weekend for the opening of our new exhibition, 'Timeless: Treasures from the Historical Collection'.

Across centuries and continents, artists have long looked outward in a spirit of discovery. These treasured works from the Gallery’s historical collection reveal an enduring curiosity about the world and its possibilities.

The exhibition brings together works that reflect the varied ways artists have responded to the places, people and ideas they encountered. Some looked beyond familiar surroundings for new subjects and experiences, while others found challenge and inspiration closer to home, in landscapes shaped by light, weather and season.

Highlights include Petrus van der Velden’s 'Burial in the Winter on the Island of Marken', shown alongside preparatory drawings that reveal aspects of its making.

Timeless: Treasures from the Historical Collection
19 September 2026 – 30 May 2027
Free Entry

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Henry La Thangue, Making Ligurian Lace, c. 1905. Oil on canvas. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased by the Canterbury Society of Arts, 1912, with the J. T. Peacock bequest. Presented to the city, 1932.

16/09/2026

Grab your mates, your aunties and your uncles and get ready to start Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with Morning Peolple and UNCLES!

For one very special morning, Morning People is teaming up with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori to bring you UNCLES - the reo rua dance music supergroup made up of Rei, Swizl Jager and Plastic Pounamu.

Expect high-energy dance floor pressure, plenty of bass, a dancefloor full of people getting amongst it, and of course te reo Māori - all before most of the city has had their first coffee.

And what better place to do it than inside the incredible glassy surrounds of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū? We’re turning the gallery into an early-morning dancefloor for one very special celebration of te reo Māori.

As always, expect complimentary coffee, bananas and kombucha, a dancefloor full of good humans and a very good reason to get out of bed ridiculously early.

Alcohol free. Dress to sweat. Party first, mahi later.

Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/morning-people-te-wiki-o-te-reo-maori-feat-uncles

Thursday 17th September
6:30am – 8:00am
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Ōtautahi Christchurch

16/09/2026

What's on at the Gallery? Swipe to see our exciting events on this month!

16/09/2026

Spring into the Gallery this month and see our stunning range of exhibitions!

15/09/2026

14/09/2026

Come and celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with us at the Gallery this week!

12/09/2026

We've voted for our Bird of the Year – have you? Our chosen manu is the endangered Kaikōura tītī!

The Kaikōura tītī, or Hutton’s shearwater, is the world’s only alpine-breeding seabird. Guided by the stars and an acute sense of smell, they return at night from feeding in the ocean to their burrows high in the ranges.

Using thermal imaging, Kāi Tahu artist Conor Clarke recorded the homeward flights of the tītī; they appear as glowing constellations in motion. The birds’ purposeful, orbiting flightways tell of ancient memory codes—deep, instinctive knowledge inscribed into the darkness.

Conor Clarke’s involvement with the Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust grew from time spent learning about her hapū, Ngāti Kurī, and their ongoing relationship with Kaikōura mauka. Kaikōura tītī uniquely nest in alpine terrain above the coast, returning to the sea to feed.

Large numbers were killed in their mountain burrows during the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, destroying their nesting area by about 15% and reducing their population by a third. Surviving populations still make the seasonal journey between high inland nesting sites and the open ocean beyond.

Come and visit these two works by Conor Clarke in our current exhibition 'Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu', and don't forget to vote for your Bird of the Year!

Vote for your favourite manu now at: https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

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Conor Clarke, Ka kite anō, 2023. Pigment print on Hahnemühle Baryta paper. Courtesy of the artist and Jonathan Smart Gallery, Ōtautahi Christchurch.

12/09/2026

When Michael Parekōwhai’s (Ngā Ariki Rotoawe, Ngāti Whakarongo) ‘Chapman’s Homer’ was exhibited at the edge of the devastated central city in 2012, it was positioned between ruin and rebuild just outside the cordon in an empty lot on Madras Street.

Over thirty days, Parekōwhai’s work caught the public imagination as a symbol of the resilience of the people of Ōtautahi. At once strong and refined, a brutal force of nature and a dynamic work of culture, ‘Chapman’s Homer’ resonated with local audiences.

Subsequently, a public fundraising campaign kept the bull in Ōtautahi Christchurch, where it was exhibited in various places around the city until the Gallery became its permanent home in 2015.

‘Chapman’s Homer’ will be taking a short break at the end of this month for some scheduled maintenance and site refurbishment. We expect it to return by mid-November—come and visit us!

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Michael Parekōwhai, Chapman’s Homer, 2011. Bronze, stainless steel. Christchurch Art Gallery Foundation Collection, purchased 2013 with the assistance of Christchurch City Council through the Public Art Advisory Group, Christchurch Art Gallery Foundation and Westpac, IAG, Ben and Penny Gough, Chartwell Trust, Ravenscar Trust, Friends of Christchurch Art Gallery, Grant and Sandra Close, Dame Jenny Gibbs, Kevin and Joanna Hickman, Stewart and Nati Kaa, Tony Kerridge, McFadden family, Andrew and Jenny Smith, Chapman Tripp, Colliers, Meadow Mushrooms, MWH Ltd, Pace Project Management, The Press; and with additional thanks for contributions from 1,074 other big-hearted individuals and companies.

(Image taken in Madras Street, Ōtautahi Christchurch, June 2012)

08/09/2026

Aotearoa New Zealand lost one of its most significant printmakers in late August. Barry Cleavin (1939–2026) had a long and distinguished career as an inventive, visionary, at times controversial printmaker and educationalist. While studying painting at the University of Canterbury School of Fine Arts in the mid-1960s, he started printing etchings on the school’s disused and rickety intaglio press. Hooked immediately, he took up printmaking.

Barry was a founding member of the Print Council of New Zealand in 1967 and went on to teach generations of printmaking students at Christchurch Technical Institute and the School of Fine Arts, where, having been appointed Senior Lecturer in Printmaking, he established an important printmaking studio in 1978. Through his teaching and practice, Barry inspired a generation of young printmakers who went on to develop successful careers, including Marian Maguire, Jason Greig, Kate Unger, Sue Cooke, Marty Vreede, Derek Lardelli and Peter Ransom.

Barry retained his affinity with etching throughout his career. He loved the process, describing it as “a bit medieval” as he prepared a zinc plate for etching by blacking it with candle smoke, noting that “it has always been done like this”. He was held in high regard by artists, art teachers, academics and curators in Aotearoa and internationally, and his prints are represented in public art galleries throughout the country as well as in the National Gallery of Australia. He held many exhibitions over his long career, including major surveys of his work at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.

Barry’s wicked sense of humour often carried over into his prints, and he was never one to shy away from political issues or injustices. His work often made biting commentary protesting issues such as the futility and brutality of warfare, Aotearoa aligning itself with international military powers, nuclear testing in the Pacific and the impact of humans on native wildlife.

The team at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū offers our sincere condolences to Barry’s family and friends. He was a leading light in this city’s art world for many decades and will be sadly missed.

Vale, Barry.

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Barry Cleavin, Just One of a Number of Allegations Flying Around a Room, 1988. Etching, aquatint. Collection Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 1989.

26/08/2026

Join us this Friday (28/08) at 12pm for a free Art Bite talk with Guided Engagement Coordinator Rebecca Ogle as she discusses Eileen Mayo's Gregg’s Jelly cards currently on display in 'Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu'.

This delightful collection of mini paintings features Aotearoa New Zealand birds by artist Eileen Mayo, which was first reproduced in 1976 as collectable picture cards in packets of Gregg’s Jelly Crystals. From the curious mātuhituhi bush wren to the elegant kōtuku white heron depicted in stunning detail, it’s not hard to see why these charming little works captured the hearts of young and old alike.

Art Bites are 30-minute lunchtime presentations on a single work on display, presented by our staff, guides and guest speakers. There's a new Art Bite to enjoy every Friday at 12pm (except during public and school holidays).

Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu
15 August 2026 - 8 February 2027
Free Entry

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Eileen Mayo, Kōtuku/White Heron, 1976. Gouache and
coloured pencil. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te
Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased, 2005.