Whakatāne Art Gallery

Whakatāne Art Gallery Linking the Whakatāne District community with their Galleries at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi.
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The vision of Whakatāne Art Gallery is to learn from the past, engage with the present and inspire the future by preserving, protecting and promoting the social, cultural, natural and artistic heritage of the Whakatāne District and rohe o Mataatua, in ways that increase knowledge, enrich the spirit, engage the mind and stimulate the senses.

Longings from the HearthEssay written by Sylvan Spring“What does it mean to long for a place, a home, or a connection to...
07/09/2026

Longings from the Hearth
Essay written by Sylvan Spring

“What does it mean to long for a place, a home, or a connection to something we feel we have lost?”

In response to Hearth, writer Sylvan Spring explores ideas of longing, belonging, ancestry and our relationship to the natural world.

Drawing on Kāi Tahu pūrākau and the Welsh concept of hiraeth, a yearning for a home or connection that can feel just out of reach, Spring considers how these longings find their way into our everyday lives and the objects we surround ourselves with.

“Our smallest longings are contained in our domestic objects.”

Through the work of Llyr Williams and Jess Nicholson, domestic objects become a meeting place for histories, landscapes, cultures and memories. Their work speaks to a shared desire to bring something of the outside world into our homes and perhaps to find a sense of belonging there.

Longings from the hearth is a written response to the exhibition Hearth.

✨ Continue reading the full essay via the link below or in person at the gallery
🔗 whakatanemuseum.org.nz/exhibitions-and-events/hearth

Hearth is on display at Whakatāne Art Gallery until 10 October.

Meet the artist from Hearth: Llyr WilliamsMoving from Camarthan, Wales, to Whakatāne as a teenager, Llyr Williams draws ...
07/09/2026

Meet the artist from Hearth: Llyr Williams

Moving from Camarthan, Wales, to Whakatāne as a teenager, Llyr Williams draws on the textures, materials and landscapes of both of his home countries.

His practice explores belonging, ancestry, domesticity and relationships to place through painting, sculpture and crafted domestic objects. Working across industrial design, furniture making, traditional Welsh stonemasonry and fine art, Llyr works with wood, stone and paint, creating functional and sculptural objects with a strong connection to the natural environment.

His work often brings together material, memory and place, reflecting on what it means to belong to more than one landscape and culture.

Llyr’s work has been exhibited nationally, including the collaborative exhibition Re: Wild / Mohoao / Gwyllt with Jess Nicholson in 2025. In 2023 he presented his solo exhibition The Lyall Bay Flotsam & Jetsam Collection, and in 2024 he was awarded the Mayor’s Prize at the Molly Morpeth Canaday Awards.

For Hearth, Llyr’s woodwork, stonework and painting sit alongside Jess Nicholson’s ceramics to create an immersive exploration of home, belonging and connection to place.

Since opening, the Kuia Moko exhibition has received such a beautiful response from our community and visitors.We’ve lov...
31/08/2026

Since opening, the Kuia Moko exhibition has received such a beautiful response from our community and visitors.

We’ve loved reading the messages left in our guest book and hearing the stories this exhibition has brought forward.

A highlight has been welcoming whānau to share their connections to the kuia, bringing in photographs, sharing stories, and telling us how they whakapapa to these remarkable wāhine.

Here are some of the lovely messages visitors have left in our guest book. 💛

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has visited, shared a story, left a message, or simply taken a moment to spend time with these taonga.

We’ve really enjoyed having you here. 💛

Come and experience Kuia Moko at the Whakatāne Art Gallery. Open until 3 October.

Artist Spotlight | Meg GaddumLand | Sea | Change is a body of abstract work exploring place, memory and the changing lan...
27/08/2026

Artist Spotlight | Meg Gaddum

Land | Sea | Change is a body of abstract work exploring place, memory and the changing landscape by Meg Gaddum.

Living beside Ōhiwa Harbour, Meg has witnessed the dramatic transformation of Whangakopikopiko as rising seas, erosion and increasingly frequent storms reshape the coastline. These changes inspire her to consider how our familiar landscapes may look in the future.

Working with oil, beeswax, encaustic, collage, ink and pencil, Meg creates expressive works that respond to place rather than simply depicting it. Colour, shape, line and structure come together to invite reflection on our relationship with the natural world.

Her practice also reflects a strong sense of environmental responsibility, from her choice of materials to the beautiful timber frames made by her husband Bob from cypress trees they planted on their farm.

Meg will also be giving an Artist Talk:
📅 3 September
🕧 12:30pm
📍Whakatāne Art Gallery

Come along to hear Meg share more about Land | Sea | Change, her practice, and the landscapes that inspire her work.

Artist Spotlight | Maia Wharewera-BallardMaia Wharewera-Ballard (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti ...
25/08/2026

Artist Spotlight | Maia Wharewera-Ballard

Maia Wharewera-Ballard (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Tama) is an artist whose practice explores memories, kōrero tuku iho, and intergenerational connections to whenua and awa. A graduate of Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design, Maia received First Class Honours and the top award in 2024.

For E Awa Te Ara, Maia presents a delicate mahi honouring her whānau and the memories held within Te Rāhui whenua and Ōhinemataroa awa. Growing up on this whenua, Maia draws on generations of knowledge inherited through her whakapapa and the skills of her grandmothers, aunties, nan, uncles, and brothers.

Bringing together collective mahi and resources gathered through whānau adventures, from camping, fishing and whitebaiting along the awa to hunting, the work reflects the enduring relationship between whānau, whenua, and mātauranga.

Come and experience Maia’s contribution to E Awa Te Ara, where memories and kōrero tuku iho honour the connections that continue to carry whakapapa forward.

Photos by:

✨ Artist Talk with Meg Gaddum Art ✨ Join us at the Whakatāne Art Gallery on Thursday 3 September at 12:30pm for an artis...
20/08/2026

✨ Artist Talk with Meg Gaddum Art ✨

Join us at the Whakatāne Art Gallery on Thursday 3 September at 12:30pm for an artist talk with Meg Gaddum, the artist behind Land | Sea | Change.

Meg will share insights into her practice, including the challenges of building an environmentally sound art practice that she is deeply committed to. She’ll also explore abstraction from her own personal perspective and through her own work.
Come along to hear Meg speak about the ideas, processes and experiences that shape her work and her approach to making art with environmental considerations at its heart. 🌿🎨

📅 Thursday 3 September 2026
🕧 12:30pm
📍 Whakatāne Art Gallery

Everyone is welcome, we’d love to see you there!

✨ Artist Spotlight | Joe Harawira For E Awa Te Ara, storyteller Joe Harawira shares kōrero that connects us to the awa s...
18/08/2026

✨ Artist Spotlight | Joe Harawira

For E Awa Te Ara, storyteller Joe Harawira shares kōrero that connects us to the awa shaping our whenua, histories, and identities.

Joe has spent years sharing stories across Aotearoa and internationally. Oral histories, whakapapa, and kōrero tuku iho, his practice draws from the teachings of kaumātua, marae life, and a lifelong commitment to keeping our stories alive.

For this exhibition, our attention to the waterways of the rohe:
Ko Tarawera, ko Rangitāiki, ko Ōrini, ko Ōhinemataroa ngā awa.
Through his kōrero, the awa become pathways of whakapapa, memory, and connection, carrying sustenance, movement, and identity across generations.
His contribution sits within E Awa Te Ara – The River is the Path, reminding us that our relationships with these waterways flow through both the land and the stories, waiata, and mātauranga passed down.

Joe is also known in Whakatāne for his role in the Mataatua Virtual storytelling experience, where he shares the founding story of Whakatāne through the whakairo of Irakewa, blending traditional storytelling with contemporary technology.

Come and experience Joe’s kōrero as part of E Awa Te Ara, on now at Whakatāne Art Gallery.

14/08/2026

🌿 The clay impressions workshop led by Hearth artists Jess Nicholson and Llyr Williams was a beautiful way to spend last Saturday. Workshop participants were treated to knowledge and techniques shared by Jess, whose ceramic practice is grounded in Kāitahutaka, environmental sustainability and connecting to culture through whenua. After a short walk beyond Te Kōputu towards the awa, we explored the environment for natural textures to imprint onto the clay. Once fired these pieces will hold the memory of when, and where we were. Ka nui te mihi Jess and Llyr for spending your Saturday sharing with us!

Address

49 Kakahoroa Drive
Whakatane
3120

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm

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+6473060509

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