Artweek Auckland showcasing art and visual artists from Oct 12-20

Throughout the ten-day festival, locals and visitors can explore the vibrant and dynamic program on offer with free walking tours, workshops, public and private art exhibitions, markets, tattooing, music, food, and so much more.

See Auckland through a new frame from 12 – 20 October as Artweek Auckland takes over ten precincts across the city (City Centre, Parnell, Ponsonby, K’Road, Grey Lynn, Newmarket, Devonport, South, West, and East), celebrating and showcasing art and visual artists of Auckland. Throughout the ten-day festival, locals and visitors can explore the vibrant and dynamic program on offer with free walking tours, workshops, public and private art exhibitions, markets, tattooing, music, food, and so much more.

The heart of the city will come alive with more events than ever, including the first-ever outdoor Art Market, supporting local artists with prints, ceramics, and photographs. Take in the city centre by night on 15 October during the Artweek staple Late Night Art, with galleries open late and food vendors and artists taking over Te Hā o Hine Place with StreetArtDego. Artists will transform Auckland’s urban spaces, with Changing Lanes, as well as unique pop-up structures by University of Auckland School of Architecture & Planning students as part of Urban Art Village. At Ellen Melville Centre, see Nori, a group exhibition by Korean Auckland-based artists whose work responds to the term Nori (translated to mean play, playtime, and recreation), which refers to activities usually accompanied by a set of rules and carried out by a group of people for entertainment.

Enjoy a night out as K’Rd on 17 October, with galleries open late and free guided walking tours, and visit Tautaifor a performance art piece curated by Katherine Atafu-Mayo. At Tim Melville Gallery, photographer Russ Flatt explores the relationship between LGBTI+ culture and evangelical Christianity with the exhibition HELLBENT.

Explore the many exhibitions on offer in Newmarket, including Lukas Kelly’s exhibition Crossing Divides at Newmarket Studio, and Mark Wooller’s Charting the Catch exhibition at the Warwick Henderson Gallery. Take a workshop on curating art for your home at the Railway Street Gallery, or head to Parnell and learn how to hang artwork at the Parnell Gallery. Visit the historic Parnell Train Station building, which has been transformed into a studio and gallery at Te Tuhi Studios at Cheshire St or visits the ARTIS Gallery for an exhibition by renowned New Zealand painter Nigel Brown.

At Studio One Toi Tū in Ponsonby, learn the basics of painting and also have a cuddle with a puppy while you’re at it – the puppies are all up for adoption, so you might go home with more than just a painting. While there, visit Janet Muir’s At the Home exhibition, or visit The Grey Place to see Philippa O’Brien’s photography exhibition on the Aotearoa roller derby scene.

In Grey Lynn, see intimate images by photographer Alfred Gregory of Sir Edmund Hillary’s epic journey to the summit of Mt Everest, in the Edmund Hillary The Journey Captured exhibition at Webb’s. Head to Etch Studio to get a tattoo, as their artists tattoo interpretations of iconic artworks and movements through the ages. At Whitespace Contemporary Art see Hanna Shim’s exhibition Bone Like This, or stop in to learn about Revolution Creative, a free interactive networking platform for creatives and employers.

The ever-popular outdoor exhibition GLOW returns to Devonport’s Windsor Reserve, with Unitec students creating 100% environmentally sustainable projects with zero budget. The Vic will host a variety of special art films across the week, while at The Vivian, see an exhibition from Iain Cheeseman or visit the Brick Bay Sculpture Trail, showcasing contemporary New Zealand sculpture.

Mangere Arts Centre plays host to the Home exhibition in South Auckland, celebrating the work of Auckland’s Muslim migrant communities through textiles and skilled crafts – exploring what is lost and what is gained in moments of cross-cultural translation. While at The Pah Homestead, the award-winning songwriter Lawrence Arabia plays an intimate solo show as part of the Sunday Concert Series.

Out West, join a zine-making workshop at Corban Estate, or take a family trip to Muriwai Beach and create sand art with Lesley Wilson. At Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery the viewer is invited to consider the New Zealand story of migration through fashion in Moana Currents: Dressing Aotearoa Now.

Visit East Auckland and see five new artists add to the already expansive collection of outdoor murals as part of the Bradley Lane Project, Auckland’s longest-running street art festival. Have a go at the pottery wheel with family and friends during The Clay Centre’s open day.

Artweek Auckland is an annual, week-long festival celebrating the visual arts of Auckland.