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2020 past exhibitions

Exhibitions that opened in 2020.

  • Man plays a pūtōrino, a Māori musical instrument
    Celebrating Makers: Māori and Pacific Art

    Celebrating Makers: Māori and Pacific Art

    Connect with our marae, Rongomaraeroa, and get up close with Māori and Pacific makers working with wood, textiles, or tattooing. Each month on our marae we’ll celebrate a different focus. 

    Closed
    22 Jan – 28 Mar 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

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    Lemi Ponifasio – MAU: House of Night and Day

    Lemi Ponifasio – MAU: House of Night and Day

    ‘MAU: House of Night and Day’ is a major installation by renowned director, choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Lemi Ponifasio.

    Closed
    24 Feb – 4 Oct 2020

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Black and white photo of two children playing on the floor in a big room with a view of other houses and the harbour.
    Modern Living: Design in 1950s New Zealand

    Modern Living: Design in 1950s New Zealand

    The 1952 Auckland exhibition Art and Design introduced New Zealanders to a vision for a more equal, happier way of life that grew from the devastation of World War II. Modern Living offers a lens into this ground-breaking exhibition, and an exciting era of new design in Aotearoa.

    Closed
    22 Aug 2020 – 26 Apr 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Illustration featuring many elements contained in a circular design, including a kite, the Te Papa building, male and female figures, people looking at art, someone skating, and people gardening
    Wana Ake Festival

    Wana Ake Festival

    Create! Look! Explore! Celebrate summer at Te Papa with a dynamic festival of events, activities, exhibitions, and fun.

    Closed
    12 Dec 2020 – 18 Apr 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Ariel view of a ring-shaped island
    Faka-Tokelau: Living with Change

    Faka-Tokelau: Living with Change

    Explore Tokelau’s unique way of life, faka-Tokelau, through the lenses of two New Zealand photographers. Glenn Jowitt visited in 1981, Andrew Matautia 36 years later, in 2017.

    Closed
    15 Feb – 2 Nov 2020

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Colourful stage set with person in costume
    World of WearableArt – Up Close

    World of WearableArt – Up Close

    Experience World of WearableArt like never before. A theatrical journey and immersive exhibition that invites you to get up close to the extraordinary garments and explore limitless creativity. 

    Closed
    12 Dec 2020 – 14 Feb 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • An illustration of Māori warriors in a waka with a chief standing up and calling out.
    One Work

    One Work

    In this series of three different experiences, engage with a single art work at your own pace and in your own way, including the world’s first Māori virtual reality experience.

    Closed
    12 Dec 2020 – 31 Jan 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

  • Watercolour painting of three people squeezed into a blue car. A women is in the middle and two men in white T-shirt with blue stripes sit either side of her
    Douglas MacDiarmid

    Douglas MacDiarmid

    We warmly remember Douglas MacDiarmid (1922–2020) with six colourful sketches he drew of his friend Helen Hitchings hitchhiking through France in 1953.

    Closed
    4 Nov 2020 – 15 Jan 2021

    Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga