Art Archive
‘She can draw a ball-sack better than anyone alive’ – Hera Lindsay Bird on artist Hannah Salmon
Summer reissue: Poet Hera Lindsay Bird celebrates the work of New Zealand artist Hannah Salmon, aka Daily Secretion, and her portraits of angry 'alpha men'.
Summer binge watch: Two Sketches with Toby Morris
Catch up on Two Sketches, featuring Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris chatting and drawing with a selection of New Zealand artists.
The debate over Theo Schoon, who built his career on the backs of Māori artists
An exhibition of Dutch-New Zealand artist Theo Schoon at the City Gallery in Wellington has set off a debate about the place of racially problematic work in public spaces.
Art on a shelf: 2019 in review
A conversation between editors about what made an impression in New Zealand visual arts in 2019. We unpack the highs and lows, and the exhibitions both naughty and nice. Warning: includes light interference from Elf on a Shelf.
Rules and revelations: The Govett-Brewster’s gutsy 50th birthday rehang
To celebrate the 50th birthday of the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth, Walters Prize-winning artist Ruth Buchanan has rehung their collection, bringing previously unseen works and skeletons out of the closet.
The decade in art, from Quasi to the Turner Prize and beyond
We get a handle on the artists and artworks that shaped this decade in Aotearoa.
A road trip through Colin McCahon’s vision of Aotearoa
Megan Dunn talks to Justin Paton, the "master of accessible art writing".
The harvesters: A photo exhibition showing the hidden side of horticulture
Richard Brimer's photography exhibition Harvest is a little bit Humans of New York. Except it's in Hastings, has zero pretension, and captures the diverse population of seasonal labourers who work the local vineyards and farms.
Things I learned from not going to art school: Yuki Kihara, New Zealand’s next artist in Venice
Lessons in life and art from Samoan New Zealand artist Yuki Kihara, Aotearoa's representative at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2021.
The office is now open: 40 years of Māori film and video art
Māia Abraham reviews an exhibition currently showing at the Christchurch Art Gallery bringing to the fore the rich moving-image practices of Māori artists.
A visit to jewellery artists Lisa Walker and Karl Fritsch in a cottage by the sea
Spinoff Art editor Mark Amery and photographer Ebony Lamb pay a visit to the internationally celebrated jewellery couple at their colonial cottage above Island Bay.
The Spinoff survey on gender bias in the art world, part 2: The galleries respond
Our recent Spinoff Art survey provided a snapshot on gender equality in the local art scene, but it wasn't the full story. Anna Knox continues the conversation by asking some gallery owners and directors for their responses to our findings.
A meditation on exile: an embroidery project draws us nearer to the Congo
Artist Lema Shamamba highlights the threads that connect cellphone use to violence and exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in her first solo exhibition at Auckland's Objectspace.
10 Best Things: Sculptor Fiona Connor’s most inspiring discoveries of the year
Los Angeles based, New Zealand born sculptor Fiona Connor, currently showing at the Mossman Gallery in Wellington, shares her top 10 – from book of the year to favourite memory of summer.
Sex, love and Georgie Pie: a fan letter to Jacqueline Fahey
At Wellington's New Zealand Portrait Gallery for one last week is Jacqueline Fahey's Suburbanites, a survey show showcasing 60 years of the artist's riotous oil paintings. Megan Dunn writes a fan letter, in lieu of a review.
The bravery of being a sissy: Owen Connors’ SISSYMANCY!
A remarkable quilt project at Wellington’s Play_Station, Sissymancy! references the AIDS Quilt project while laying new ground for current and future generations of queer artists, writes Mark Amery.
The Shouting Valley: a politically charged show about lives caught between borders
The Shouting Valley is a powerful group exhibition at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland that interrogates and gives voice to the people caught between borders. But is the real …
A guide to some of Auckland’s best artist-run initiatives
In time for Auckland Artweek, Eloise Callister-Baker opens the door on a cluster of small Auckland art spaces finding cunning new ways to adapt and survive in the CBD property market.
Deal with it: The Great Auckland Art Dealer Questionnaire
It's Auckland Artweek (12-20 October) and we're doing our bit by shining a light on the people behind the city's commercial galleries.
A New Zealand modernist in London: The Royal Academy celebrates Rita Angus
In 2020 the Royal Academy of Arts opens the exhibition Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist. It's the first-ever show of a New Zealand artist in an institution that dates back to the days of Captain Cook.
Portrait of an Artist Banging on a Cabin Bread Tin
Tongan New Zealand performance artist Kaisolaite Uhila is current visiting artist in residence at Dunedin Public Art Gallery. His work involves a drumstick and many, many tins of cabin bread.
Things I Learned at Art School: Bob Jahnke
In this the fourth instalment of Things I Learned At Art School, Bob Jahnke on Māori identity, education and, on the occasion of the Tuia 250 commemorations, "getting Cooked".
Gender bias and art in Aotearoa: a Spinoff survey reveals the harsh reality
How equal are the opportunities for male and female artists in Aotearoa's art world? Anna Knox chases data on gender and diversity and finds out some cold, hard stats.
How the Guerrilla Girls are still shaking up the art world after 30 years
The Guerrilla Girls are an infamous group of feminist art activists who've been calling out sexism and prejudice in the art world since the 80s. On the eve of her first trip to New Zealand, group member 'Frida Kahlo' talks to Megan Dunn.
