Artspace Aotearoa

Artspace Aotearoa is a non-profit contemporary art gallery in Auckland. It was founded in 1987 by artists and art workers; it continues to be an artist-managed organisation. Artspace Aotearoa commissions and generates research into national and international art and culture, provides a space for critical debate and intellectual discussion, and runs an innovative programme of exhibitions and events.

Artspace Aotearoa focuses on using art to understand and reimagine the world we live in. Each year its programme explores a different question, and artists and their artwork respond to that question. As a trust-run gallery, Artspace Aotearoa can commission work by emerging artists who do not yet have the portfolio to show in a major public gallery. Despite this, its exhibitions also include work by major New Zealand artists.

In 2007 the gallery hosted Tom Kreisler – an exhibition of work by the New Zealand artist from his 35-year career. Although he lived most of his life in New Zealand, Tom was born in Argentina and his work was heavily influenced by his interest in Mexican folk art.

The exhibition Points of Contact toured New Zealand in 2011. This exhibition traced the historical and conceptual connections between New Zealand artist Jim Allen, New Zealand filmmaker and sculptor Len Lye and Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica. As part of the Auckland Festival, Artspace Aotearoa presented a parallel event by Jim Allen called Contact, in which live dancers interacted with technology.

In 2021, Artspace Aotearoa invited Colombian curator José Roca to the gallery, as part of its series of curatorial talks. This event was presented in collaboration with Whiti o Rehua School of Art (Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University). José has curated exhibitions at the Tate Modern (London) and Museos del Banco de la República (Bogotá), and worked on biennial shows in Colombia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Italy and the US. José spoke about working with FLORA, a contemporary art space in Bogotá, which focuses on the relationship between art, nature and the body. As the artistic director for the Biennale of Sydney in 2022, he also shared his vision for that event.

The board of Artspace Aotearoa appoints a new director every three years; the current director is artist and curator Ruth Buchanan. The organisation is funded by Creative NZ Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa and has a range of other supporters.

Location

Auckland, New Zealand

Date

Launched in 1987

Published 02 November 2023