Wellington’s Must-See Contemporary Art Galleries

Adam Art Gallery is a university gallery offering a wide-ranging program of exhibitions and events that cultivate the understanding and practice of visual art and culture. They do this through a variety of exhibitions featuring both national and international artists working in disciplines that range from the visual arts, craft and architecture to design and music. Above all, Adam Art Gallery’s exhibitions are meant to be thought-provoking. Past shows have included themes such as Cinema and Painting, which examined the intersection between these two art forms, and Modernist sculpture by New Zealand artist Peter Robinson. Additionally, the Victoria University of Wellington art collection, which comprises over 240 works by New Zealand artists, is on permanent display throughout the university campus.

Avid Gallery is a must for object and jewelry collectors and connoisseurs. Avid represents some of the country’s leading artists in glass, ceramics, bronze, stone, mixed media, and other objects of applied art. Here you will find contemporary jewelry featuring work in gold, silver, jade, stone, and modern materials. Exhibitions at Avid range from impressive bird sculptures by Martin Carryer to Trevor Byron’s quirky silver nature-based brooches and earrings, and ceramic paintings and sculptures by Adrienne Riseley.

Avid Gallery, 48 Victoria Street, Wellington, New Zealand, +64 4 472 7703

City Gallery Wellington was the first significant non-collecting exhibition-based public gallery in New Zealand, and remains at the forefront of the country’s art institutions. It hosts local, national, and international artists, providing a space for the public to interact with contemporary visual art, architecture, and design. Known for its innovative exhibitions, City Gallery Wellington also strives to engage its visitors, offering artist talks, art workshops, lectures and more. International artists whose work has been exhibited in the gallery include Yayoi Kusama, Tracey Emin, and Frida Kahlo, but the space has also hosted important names from the New Zealand scene, including Bill Hammond, Ralph Hotere and Shane Cotton.

City Gallery Wellington, 101 Wakefield Street, Wellington, New Zealand, +64 4 4 801 3021

The Dowse Art Museum is a hotbed of contemporary art happenings, especially when it comes to craft and design. They’ve built their reputation on quality exhibitions and events by both national and international artists. Exhibitions they’ve curated in the past include New Zealand sculptor Peter Robinson, who joins conceptual minimalism with craft traditions and a group exhibition featuring 12 contemporary male artists working with textiles. Dowse Square and the area around the building are home to a number of public artworks, while the museum itself keeps a busy events calendar with artist talks, children’s workshops and a monthly music session.

Enjoy’s aim is to promote the discourse of contemporary art practice no matter its form. They do this by both generating and facilitating contemporary art projects. With a special focus on emerging artists, an eye for the new and a willing spirit, Enjoy is an important voice on the New Zealand art scene. Past projects include New Zealand artist Helen Calder who has an intimate relationship with color, an installation piece by Melissa Laing and Kerry Ann Lee ,which used digital videos, sonic art, and publications to explore ideas about migration and settlement in New Zealand, and a collaborative project between Simon Morris and Brenda Sullivan, which explored the gallery as a living entity. Enjoy is also home to an artist space with individual shows and a summer residency program.

Page Blackie Gallery represents leading contemporary New Zealand artists, showcasing both contemporary and historic artwork. With three independent exhibiting spaces and more than 25 years of experience, the gallery is an authority on the national contemporary art scene. Visiting their spacious gallery, one might become acquainted with Emily Wolfe and her domestically set paintings, John Walsh’s realistic portraits, or Max Gimblett’s colorful concoctions that fuse Abstract Expressionism, Modernism, Eastern and Western spiritual beliefs, and ancient culture.

Page Blackie Gallery, 42 Victoria Street, Wellington, New Zealand, +64 4 471 2636

Pataka is dedicated to celebrating local heritage and shows the very best in contemporary Maori, Pacific Island, and New Zealand art. This is the museum to visit to discover the newest and more established New Zealand artists, as well as the shapes and forms their art is taking today. Pataka focuses on heritage and social history exhibitions; artists who have exhibited in the past include photographer Shigeyuki Kihara, an installation by Tiffany Singh which involved local school children, and a group show featuring contemporary New Zealand artists. All in all, Pataka is nestled in a unique cultural space, as its building also includes the Porirua City Library, Melody Farm Music Museum, a traditional Japanese garden, and Cafe Kaizen.

Contemporary New Zealand art in the heart of Wellington can be found in the gallery space of Robert Heald. Here, you can discover a range of artists working in many mediums, such as Patrick Lundberg and his contemporary painted objects, the avant-garde paintings of David Cauchi, or a photo-collage exhibition by New Zealand local Peter Madden. Exhibitions here rotate on a monthly basis, which means the gallery is a great place to visit regularly for a quick update on what its artists are up to.

Robert Heald Gallery, 209 Leftbank, Wellington, New Zealand, + 64 4 384 4209