Events in Wellington this weekend and beyond
Thursday, 5 December 2024
Opera Barbies!
St Mary's Karori Anglican Church, Karori, Dec 6, 7.30pm, $20-$30
Sopranos Barbara Graham and Barbara Paterson (aka the Opera Barbies) join with pianist Bruce Greenfield for a concert of sumptuous duets, songs and a bit of opera. Featuring repertoire by Poulenc, Debussy, Delibes, Richard Strauss and Rachmaninoff. Tickets: email operabarbies@gmail.com or cash on the door
Wiri Donna In My Chambers Release Tour
San Fran, Dec 6, 8pm, $10.30+
Wiri Donna and her band celebrates her sophomore EP release, In My Chambers.
Dave Murphy and Janet Muggeridge
Thunderbird Cafe, Dec 6, 5.30pm, free
Acoustic finger-picked guitar, mandolin, vocals. Blues, folk, Americana, originals. Friendly hospitality, good vibes, food and bevvies.
Funkadelic Friday
The Realm, Dec 6, 7pm
Funkadelic is a 6-piece band playing toe-tapping music from the likes of Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield, Joss Stone and more. Table bookings: 04 974 2207
Sleeping Beauty: The Pantomime
Circa Theatre, to Jan 11, Tues to Sat, 6.30pm, Sunday 4pm, $18-$55, family passes available
An original pantomime with songs, dance, and sci-fi! This time-travelling twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty fairytale is a high-energy comedy the whole whānau will love. Tickets: circa.co.nz
Christmas in the Quarters
Queens Wharf Plaza, Dec 7, 11am-5pm
Experience a Christmas Circus Extravaganza and street busking under the sails at Queens Wharf.
Fashion Show
107 Cuba St, Dec 7, 6.30pm, $40-$50 (seated) $22.50 GA
Final Notice is a theatrical fashion show featuring seven designers from Aotearoa. Experience the creativity of Fringes Garments, Milan Jeon, James Warrender, Henry Calkin, Foolish, Chivalry Road, and Dira Dis Ultra. Don’t miss this celebration of fashion and artistry. Tickets: eventbrite
Kegs for Christmas - Aro Valley BBQ Bash for Kaibosh
Garage Project Aro Brewery Forecourt, Dec 7, 11am-7pm
BBQ, beers, and summer fun at Garage Project supporting Kaibosh. Sizzling burgers, soft serve cones, top-notch beer & more – all fundraising to support our local food rescue heroes.
Wellington City Orchestra
St Andrew’s on the Terrace, Dec 8, 3pm
Conductor Donald Maurice, soloist Inbal Meggido (cello). Lilburn Aotearoa Overture, Shostakovish Cello Concerto No 1, Anthony Ritchie Symphpony No 1 (“Boum”) Tickets: Humanitix.com
Alma and the Mind Galaxy
BATS Theatre, to Dec 7, from $15+
While asleep, Alma is sent on a fantastical journey within her mind. Through an unknown entity, Alma will learn why she interacts with the world in her own unique way. Tickets: bats.co.nz
Tahitian tapa making
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Dec 7, 1-4pm, free
Join master tapa-makers Hinatea Colombani and Moeava Meder, from Tahiti, for an introduction to their practice, a demonstration of Tahitian tapa making and an opportunity to learn techniques.
Toi Korero | Artist Talk with Liana Leiataua
Pātaka Art + Museum, Bottle Creek Gallery, Dec 7, 11am, free
Meet Porirua artist Liana Leiataua and discover the stories behind her solo exhibition Points of no return. Māori and Moana Curator Jacki Leota-Mua will chat with Liana about being a printmaker, carver and painter and the significance of the heritage practice of siapo barkcloth.
AOTANGO Quintet - International Tango Day Concet & Milonga
Public Trust Hall, Dec 10, 7pm, $20-$40
A concert featuring tango and world music, showcasing guest dancers and singers celebrating International Tango Day. AOTANGO Quintet features violinist Andrew Beer, pianist Somi Kim, bassist Gordon Hill, jazz guitarist Sam Swindells, and world champion accordion player Grayson Masefield.
Encounter
BATS Theatre, Dec 10-14, 4.30pm, 6.30pm, $15+
Step into the past and explore the untold stories of Wellington through the eyes of early Chinese immigrants. Using the mobile app Pickpath, choose whose story to follow and which path to take. Tickets: bats.co.nz
Roundtable Talanoa
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Dec 11, 10am, free
Come and explore current concerns pertinent to Moana Nui art research and practice in a relaxed discussion guided by art historians and curators Nina Tonga, Sean Mallon and Peter Brunt.
Resonance Choir – A Carol Celebration
St Andrew's on The Terrace, Dec 11, 12:15 pm, koha.
Join us for carol singing with the Resonance Choir, led by Simon Christie. The choir will sing much loved and popular Christmas Carols to kick the festive season off. Audience participation is welcome!
Toi Open: Art show and sale
Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, to Dec 13
Want to get your loved ones something special this year, while supporting local artists? The Toi Pōneke Art Centre on Able Smith Street has you covered, with 20 resident artists coming together for their annual residents’ art show and sale. Join them on opening night, this Friday, 5.30pm-8pm, or visit weekdays 10am-8pm and weekends 10am-4pm. More info at toiponeke.nz.
Six Degrees Festival
BATS Theatre, to Dec 17, various times
Te Whare Ngangahau –Theatre and Performance Studies - Masters of Fine Arts Students: Simon Burgess, Pan Clark, Dryw McArthur, Alanah Mun, Isabel Pecora, Chenae Phillips, Sharon Wang, and honours student Jamie Yee. Tickets: bats.co.nz
Come Together - End of Year Bash
St James Theatre, Dec 14, 7.30pm
Featuring tracks from the Come Together back catalogue plus some extra bangers – Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Guns n Roses … the list goes on. All performed by the incredible Come Together supergroup. Tickets: ticketmaster
Exhibitions
Mana Tipua Tuku Iho
Courtenay Place
The latest Courtenay Place Light Boxes outdoor exhibition by Te Whanganui-a-Tara based artist Louie Zaulk-Neale (Ngai Te Rāngi) is Mana Tipua Tuku Iho, a series of photographic visualisations that depict Takatāpui as Mana Tipua in and around the waters of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Elemental
Webb’s Gallery, to Dec 14, free
Webb’s Wellington presents Elemental: a selling exhibition, featuring John Brown, Conor Clarke, Jonathan Kay, Gerda Leenards, Tessa Russell, Johnny Turner, Kate Woods and Virginia Woods-Jack.
Vaiei Tupuna
Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, to Dec 15, 11am-5pm Tues-Sun, free
Exhibition of contemporary tapa from across Moana Nui bringing together newly commissioned responses to taonga from the Victoria University of Wellington and Te Papa collections, alongside historic and contemporary artworks.
Exhibition of Photographs from MikiNobu Komatsu
Exhibitions Gallery of Fine Art, Brandon St, to Dec 21, Mon-Fri, 10am-4.30pm, Sat, 10.30am-3.30pm
An photographic exhibition of three books by MikiNobu Komatsu - Classic Aotearoa, Japan Journey Nostalgia and Light Moods South.
Best in Show: Julia Holden
Parrotdog Brewery, Lyall Bay,to Dec 22
Best in Show will feature contemporary oil-on-canvas portraits of beloved companion animals, all painted by Julia Holden. These portraits will celebrate the joy and delight that pets bring into our lives.
People, Places and Things by Ilya Volykhine
Exhibitions Gallery, Brandon St, to Jan 25, free
Multiple panels featuring disparate images, colours, and stylistic flourishes, Volykhine’s paintings reverberate with a distinct aura that transcends narrative description. Despite a leitmotif of figurative elements, storylines are intentionally slippery.
Yakishime - Earth Metamorphosis
Whirinaki Whare Taonga, Upper Hutt, to Jan 19, 10am-4pm, free
This exhibition delves into Japan's rich cultural tapestry by tracing the evolution of Yakishime ceramics from their ancient origins to contemporary creations.
The Art of Banksy
Tākina Convention and Events Centre, to Jan 20
Blockbuster exhibition The Art of Banksy features more than 150 pieces - including prints, canvases, unique works and fascinating ephemera - in this museum-quality exhibition. Tickets and info: theartofbanksy.nz
Turumeke Harrington: Home Ground / Kororiwhatepō
Page Galleries, to Jan 25, Tues-Fri 10am–5pm; Sat 10am-4pm
Turumeke Harrington (Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne) distils complex ideas into striking visual forms. The artist’s sculptures, paintings, and jewellery are bursting with humour and provocation, offering reflections on whakapapa, relationships, and cultural and social anxieties.
Delphinium Days
The Dowse Art Museum, to Jan 26, free
Delphinium Days celebrates the work, activism and legacy of Derek Jarman, one of the most influential figures in 20th century British culture. Presented in partnership with City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi.
Little Treasures of Zealandia - An Exhibition by Karen Rankin
Te Māra Toi Gallery (Visitors Centre) at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, to Jan 31, 9am-5pm daily, free to the gallery.
Award-winning artist Karen Rankin returns to Zealandia for her second show. She is exhibiting original scratchboards, oil on copper, and framed and canvas giclee prints of her favourite native birds.
Meditations
National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, to Mar 1, Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat, 9am-1pm, free
From City Gallery Te Whare Toi, Meditations explores time and creation of personal archives from artists Moorina Bonini, Lily Dowd, Te Ara Minhinnick, and Areta Wilkinson. Experimental, defiant, and other-worldly.
Yhonnie Scarce’s Night Blindness
Dowse Art Museum, to Mar 9
Night Blindness is the first solo exhibition in New Zealand by contemporary artist Yhonnie Scarce (Kokatha and Nukunu peoples), featuring innovative large-scale glass installations, rooted in extensive research and deep personal connections to the histories she explores. At the heart of the exhibition is Missile Park (2021), a striking installation featuring three scaled-down sheds that reference the military base in Woomera.
Diane Prince: Activist Artist
Pātaka Art + Museum, to Mar 9, open daily, free
Diane Prince (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Whatua and Ngāti Kahu) is a painter, weaver, installation art practitioner, set designer and educator, whose multimedia practice emphasises Māori rights, particularly Māori women’s rights. This exhibition foregrounds the close relationship between activism and art in Prince’s art practice.
Rangirua
Pātaka Art + Museum, to Mar 9, open daily, free
Rangirua presents two takes on the two-person exhibition. The show features two artist pairings, bringing together works by Neke Moa and Rowan Panther, as well as Gabrielle Amodeo and Martin Thompson.
Taku Hoe
Pātaka Art + Museum, to May 25, open daily, free
Taku Hoe features a selection of work by the Aotearoa visual artists who exhibited in FestPAC 2024 in Hawai’i. It uses the theme of voyaging to celebrate connections between people across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean).
- _To be considered for inclusion in this column, email your listing to arts@thepost.co.nz. _Include the name of the event, venue, date and time, cost and and paragraph about the event itself.__