The mark the occasion, the gallery promises a vibrant ‘Summer of Art’. Whanganui locals and visitors can expect a season filled with creativity, celebration, and of course, art, which will be showcased through its line-up of free-to-attend events throughout the gallery’s opening month.
Whether experiencing the Nō Konei | From Here exhibition (9 November 2024 – 11 May 2025), participating in the Opening Ceremony Mihi (Saturday 9 November), or coming along for performances, talks and fun activities inside and outside the gallery, there will be something for everyone during the Summer of Art.
Visit sarjeant.org.nz/upcoming-events for the full Summer of Art programme of events.
A public Opening Ceremony Mihi takes place at 9.30am on Satuday 9 November, marking the first time the gallery opens its doors to the public.
The exhibition Nō Konei | From Here also officially opens this weekend.
Running until 11 May 2025, the exhibition features more than 200 artworks, spanning four centuries of European and New Zealand art history.
Displayed across the breadth of the gallery’s newly expanded exhibition spaces, works range from traditional gilt-framed paintings to contemporary practice in a variety of media.
Senior Curator and Programmes Manager Greg Donson said the opening season represents the unique story of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery, with Nō Konei | From Here comprising pieces that reflect the breadth of the gallery’s collection, as well as newly commissioned works by artists with a strong connection to the region.
“Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery’s curatorial team have chosen works that are imbued with the magic of the makers who walk among us – the artistic sightseers of our lives who traverse the terrain of the real and imagined, who show us and make us feel things we can’t quite put our finger on, our histories and memories,” he said.
“Galleries and their collections are much like families; they have their own DNA, ghosts, mauri. They evolve organically and we can only wonder sometimes – how did this artwork arrive here in this place?”
Many of the contemporary pieces in Nō Konei | From Here, are works created by artists who are alumni of the gallery’s Tylee Cottage artist-in-residence programme, established in 1986. These works were made in response to Whanganui, and will be shown with newly commissioned works by over twenty current practitioners.
The artists chosen for the exhibition represent diverse points of view and voices, the commonality being their link to the region and what the kaupapa ‘nō konei’ evokes for them.
Also featured are solo artist projects by Matthew McIntyre-Wilson (Taranaki, Ngā Māhanga and Titahi), Tia Ranginui (Ngāti Hine Oneone) and Alexis Neal (Ngāti Awa & Te Ātiawa). The origin of each of these individual projects is deeply embedded in Whanganui, and each of these new bodies of work have been years in the making.
A major new survey of celebrated Whanganui painter Edith Collier (1885-1964) will also be on show (9 November 2024 – 16 February 2025). Curated by Jill Trevelyan, this exhibition and its accompanying book, published 9 September 2024, places Collier as one of the leading lights of early Modernist painting in New Zealand.
“This opening programme celebrates the gallery’s rich history and bright future. Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery is back, strengthened, optimistic; reflecting on our past and looking to our future,” said Andrew Clifford, Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery Director.
“It marks an important moment in our story and highlights the significance of our region to the wider creative sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad.”
Nō Konei | From Here
Opening Saturday 9 November 2024
Free Entry
