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Experience the vibrancy, colour, and richness of an Indian wedding. Aainaa celebrates the diversity of New Zealand’s Indian communities through the customs and rituals surrounding marriage.
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Annie Bonza has wowed the New Zealand fashion scene for more than 50 years. See vibrant, offbeat, and award-winning works by this extraordinary fashion designer.
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Through a fabulous array of clothes and accessories, this new exhibition explores the popularity of six colours in Western fashion from the 1800s to the present day.
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John Constable (1776-1837) was one of the greatest English landscape painters. The exhilarating works in this exhibition trace his remarkable career and reveal what influenced and inspired this master.
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Across the Pacific, dance costume makers are artists in fibre, recorders of history, keepers of custom, and innovators with new materials. Enter the world of Pacific dance through this rich and diverse exhibition of dance costumes and adornments.
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Take this rare opportunity to see some of the world's largest and finest dinosaur skeletons.
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A selection of drawings and prints from Te Papa’s collection featuring works dating from the late fifteenth to the late eighteenth century. All were created by artists who were Italian, or worked in Italy, or derived their subjects from Italian sources.
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From walls and windows everywhere, noble soldiers and citizens exhorted support for the war effort: Volunteer! Lend your money! Speed up production! Come and see why so many New Zealanders heeded the call.
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See the 2700-year-old mummy of Keku, and explore the mysteries of ancient Egyptian rituals for journeying to the afterlife.
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Images of nature constrained as portrayed by two distinguished photographers: American Robert Mapplethorpe’s studio portraits of flowers contrast with Peter Black’s trees and plants in city environments.
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Thrilling, seductive, and addictive! Follow the incredible technology, see iconic cars, and discover New Zealand's Formula One heroes.
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The art of drawing from one of the world’s great collections. Take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to encounter works by master artists of five centuries. You will be inspired!
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Ilott Room
Impressions of France: French prints 1850–1900 presents a selection of etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts from Te Papa’s collection, including works by Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro.
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James Nairn set the 1890s Wellington art scene alight with his ‘avant-garde’ painting methods and teaching. This delightful selection of works from Te Papa’s collection complements The Scots in New Zealand exhibition.
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This popular showcase of adornments from across the Pacific returns to Te Papa after touring New Zealand. Enjoy heritage items as well as contemporary Pacific-inspired works.
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Watercolours and photographs by a remarkable nineteenth-century artist present a unique insight into the changing scene of colonial New Zealand.
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An art project in collaboration with a contemporary New Zealand artist renowned for making uncommon art from everyday and ready-made materials.
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An intimate glimpse of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s life and career through her dresses, opera costumes, personal memorabilia, photographs, and film footage.
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This exhibition reveals the life and work of this renowned Samoan typographer. It celebrates the artistry and passion of a man who lives in New Zealand but whose original typefaces are used worldwide.
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See gorgeous wool garments presented to New Zealand audiences by this brilliant creative promoter of wool. Revisit the glamour of an era in designs by fashion luminaries such as Pierre Balmain, Marcel Rochas, Hardy Amies, and Victor Steibel.
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Level 4
Ngāi Tahu Whānui invite you to celebrate their past and present, their values, and their vision for the future. Mō Tātou celebrates the distinct and dynamic culture of the South Island's Ngāi Tahu people.
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Visa Platinum Gallery
This is a rare chance to see some of the world’s most famous and best-loved Impressionist paintings, including Claude Monet's Water lilies, Haystacks, and Meadow with poplars.
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Experience this international contemporary art exhibition exploring the future of the environment. Featuring works by Ralph Hotere and Bill Culbert, Mounir Fatmi, Bill Viola, Geoff Dixon and Susan Norrie.
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New Zealand in Bloom introduces the work of Bernard Roundhill, founding father of commercial art in New Zealand. In creating some of our most famous brands, Roundhill also helped to shape our national identity.
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Out of the creation stories of fire, water, and earth, five leading Māori artists create powerful new works in clay.
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Sculpture Terrace
Seung Yul Oh’s project is a playful collection of five egg-shaped birds that rock and chime.
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The 1970s - a decade of immense change in New Zealand! This exhibition explores the social and political forces that moulded these sometimes turbulent years - along with the eye-popping fashions, earthy handcrafts, and art.
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Luminous watercolours from Te Papa’s collection.
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Community Gallery, Level 4
An encounter with the life and style of a vibrant community.
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An exhibition of 200 works by this iconic and much-loved New Zealand artist.
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An exotic Kashmir wrap or a delicate silk stole - the shawl has adorned and warmed women for more than two centuries. This exhibition showcases exquisite shawls selected from Te Papa’s extensive History Textiles Collection.
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This exhibition explores how people express spiritual beliefs and supernatural experiences through visual culture.
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City Gallery, Wellington
This exhibition gives audiences an opportunity to see an exciting and diverse range of contemporary New Zealand art. Jointly curated by City Gallery Wellington and Te Papa, Small World, Big Town includes work by 28 New Zealand artists, drawn from the Te Papa visual art collections
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Bring the family to experience the extraordinary world of space exploration! Fly a space shuttle simulator, fire a rocket, and be amazed by the latest photographs from the Cassini mission to Saturn.
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A spectacular showcase of Japanese art and culture, surveying some 5000 years of Japan’s history, and giving a taste of the beauty, elegance, and delicacy that characterise Japanese life.
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Stamped celebrates 150 years since New Zealand’s first stamps were created. Discover the stories behind rare and beautiful items, including from the Royal Philatelic Collection - some never before seen in New Zealand.
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Te Ātiawa discussed the legends of the very early people named Te Kāhui Maunga (the Assembly of Mountains) and their association with Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui (the south of the North Island).
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Te Aupouri Iwi – people of smoke and flame was the iwi exhibition of the tenacious Te Aupouri tribe from the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand.
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In partnership with Te Papa, Whanganui iwi present stories and taonga (treasures) from their unique Whanganui river culture, from Te Kāhui Maunga (the mountain clan) to Tangaroa (the sea).
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Sculpture Terrace, Level 6
A VW van and a pine plantation on Te Papa’s roof? Experience The Big O.E. - a dramatic installation by Michael Parekowhai.
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Designer babies! Gene therapy! GE food! Explore The Genetic Revolution! Immerse yourself in these extraordinary developments and possibilities - and the dilemmas and debates arising from them.
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The TOWER Gallery
Be the detective. Meet the twisted suspects. Figure out who killed Professor Felix Splicer and what gruesome poisonous creature they used.
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Theo Schoon was a notable figure in 20th-century New Zealand art. In 2001, Te Papa purchased his archive of work. This selection showcases Schoon’s artistry and reveals the extraordinary range of his interests.
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Looks at New Zealand painter Toss Woollaston’s early years and his key relationships during that time. This intimate exhibition has been organised to coincide with the October publication by Te Papa Press of Toss Woollaston: A Life in Letters.
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Ngāi Tūhoe contributed to the exhibition content, narratives, and taonga.
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Level 4
This provocative exhibition presents artworks that explore identity, gender, sexuality, and mythology, and challenge our ideas about how we represent ourselves.
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The TOWER Gallery, Level 4
Encounter the underwater world of whales. Explore their lifestyles and amazing biology. And discover how the world of whales and people connect – in story and in fact, at sea and on land.
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Explore the patterns and forms of your environment through a rich selection of photographs, objects, and artworks. This exhibition celebrates design in the natural world and reveals its influences and reflections in human art and design. Until 22 June 2005. Level 3. Free entry.
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A dynamic and interactive exhibition that presents the mysteries and marvels of flight in the natural world.