Matariki
Rei Collective
June 19 - July 27, 2025

“Matariki tāpuapua – the gathering of stars, the rising of memory, the dawning of new light.”

As Matariki rises once again above the horizon, we invite you to join us in celebrating the spirit of remembrance, renewal and collective creativity through the upcoming REI Collective Matariki 2025 Exhibition.

This curated exhibition brings together Māori artists and storytellers whose works honour the stars of Te Kāhui o Matariki

Mauri tau, mauri tū, mauri Matariki.

Ngahuru Pango
April 11 | 1pm - 2:30pm

Join us in celebrating the incredible talents of our rangatahi at our Whakairo Exhibition. This special event showcases their mahi toi, honouring their creativity, dedication, and whakapapa. Your presence and support mean everything as we acknowledge the hard work and passion of our rangatahi. Come and witness the stories carved into wood, each piece reflecting the mana and mauri of our next generation.

Harbour Stories
Russ Harris
February 13 - March 9, 2025

The title of this show refers to Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour where I live with my partner and from where I draw inspiration. I think my art is about exploring, and learning. Sometimes simply learning technique through exploring different mediums, sometimes using those mediums to create enquiries into our environment. Sometimes creating pieces that reflect ideas back into those environments.

I create pieces that celebrate where we are and what we do. I am a political person, I create pieces in response to injustice. I create pieces that stem from intuitive thought, dreams. I like works that contain a narrative even though, at times, I do not know what that narrative is until I am well into what I am doing. I like illustration. Graphic Novels, Old fashioned story books and comics.

Know Your Place
Rei Collective
November 20 - December 1, 2024

Submerge yourself in an underwater symphony, make the acquaintance of local species and experience artworks as a call to positive environmental action.

Artists use observations and environmental research to create greater awareness of Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour.

In this exhibition the collective has created work that responds to local research and their observations of the environment. These works speak to the change and/or connection to the local whenua the artists hope to inspire in their audience

HA!
Jo Burzynska
August 23 - September 29, 2024

If we inhale another’s memories, might we understand each other differently or perhaps more deeply? Hā! brings together a series of olfactory “portraits” drawn from inhabitants of Ōtautahi from a range of ethnic, sensory, gender and neurodiverse backgrounds. Using the intimate sense of smell, it invites an embodied transfer of personal, and cultural, sensory experiences. Resisting containment, the works subtly mingle with each other, making a larger, immaterial central work in the gallery space in which experiences coalesce.

Hā is a breath, an essence, a taste, a tone in te reo Māori. Hā! is an exhalation of surprise or derision across the many European cultures that dismiss knowledge gained through the proximal senses. In the olfactory compositions of Hā!, cultures blend in the memories these diffuse, offering perspectives not only into individuals, but histories that can be lesser known or overlooked when relying on Western-centric biographical methods of writing and visual depiction.

Coalescence
Gwyn Hughs
March 8 - April 7, 2024

With a combination of portraiture, sea and landscapes Gwyn Hughes’ new exhibition, Coalescence delivers some of his finest work to date.

Hughes is an award winning painter who has been showing his work both internationally and more recently in Aotearoa, over a lengthy fine arts career. Coalescence is a merging of the artist’s most recent oil paintings and a number of limited edition giclee prints.

As a creative, Hughes skillfully brings together those early learnings of layering glazes in the style of the old masters, with an eagerness to develop new techniques and practices exploring colour, union and movement. With the ability to move easily between his love of the human form and all its complexities and uniqueness, to capturing the intricate details of a breathtaking scene, Hughes ensures each viewer can experience and construct their own personal narrative from his artwork.

Kā Kura Kā Manu
Rei Collective collaboration with Te Raekura, Te Kura Tuatahi o Ōhinehou, Te Kura o Paeraki
November 10 - January 5, 2024

Kā Kura Kā Manu is our fourth and final exhibition of 2023 dedicated to the manu (birds) of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū (Banks Peninsula).

We decided to collaborate with three kura from the community to provide an artistic platform for the next generation of creative minds.

Manu are integral to Te Ao Māori, they are the original inhabitants of Aotearoa New Zealand, and came to incredible heights and depths in our diverse whenua. This exhibition will highlight the manu on our doorstep, the ones buried beneath our very own feet, and their cultural significance for us today. Here we can generate awareness about the critical importance of manu and find common ground on our home.

Parāoa & Pata
Rei Collective
September 9 - October 9, 2023

In an age of abundant creativity, artists still often find themselves facing financial challenges while pursuing their passion. Parāoa & Pata (Bread & Butter) is a brief exhibition dedicated to supporting our artists and their income. This exhibition aims to highlight the diverse talents of emerging and established artists while providing them with a platform to generate income through the sale of their artwork

We’re showcasing a wide array of artistic styles and mediums, emphasising the diversity of the kā toi and art. Paintings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media works by artists from various backgrounds are displayed. Each piece is available for purchase, and proceeds go directly to the artist.

By attending and purchasing artwork, visitors directly contribute to the income of artists, helping them sustain their creative careers. This exhibition bridges the gap between art appreciation and financial support, ensuring that art continues to thrive in our society.

Perfect Storm
Morag Brownlie
11 October - 10 November 2024

Multi - disciplinary artist and film maker Morag Brownlie collaborated with Taite music award winner Sean Donnelly (SJD), New Zealand opera singers, photographers Phill Prendeville, Sam Evans, Sam Tozer and actor / artist / story teller Pita Turei.

Perfect Storm has played at over 40 film festivals around the world, winning award nominations and was the opening film at the prestigious Thessalonki short film festival.

In The Public Eye
Scott Watson
May 24 - June 20, 2024

Over the past decade, Whakaraupō Carving Centre has supported both Māori and non-Māori prisoners with their release from prison, and with their reintegration back into their communities. This is done by providing a Māori kura kaupapa whose primary aims are uplifting tikanga, kawa, and Mātauranga. This is achieved by supporting the tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake of individual creative practices, skill sets and aspirations.

This is an exhibition showcasing some of Scott’s whakairo and rauangi (carving/visual art) practices which he has produced over a twenty six year period of incarceration. Curated by WCCT, ‘In the public eye’ will provide a visual narrative of Scott’s creative journey.

‘I lo’u lalolagi, In My World’
Leni Kaisa
April 11 - June 15, 2025

A creative exhibition by Leni Kaisa. A Pasifika journey influenced by art, culture and music.

As a member of the Rei Collective, Leni's mahi toi is a reflection of Pasifika mana and māloapapa. Her works allows audiences to witness the beauty of the Samoan worldview that informs and influences her creative practice.

Leni’s ability to uphold the mana of her whānau and communities through her art is something we all strive to achieve as indigenous creatives, to tell our stories, share our whakapapa, cultural practices and create taonga that promotes kotahitanga (unity) as a fundamental pillar of Indigenous creative practice.

The Spirit of Ananda
Madhu Rees
March 14 - April 6, 2025

Madhu Rees combines two styles of Indian traditional art, Mughal miniatures and Madhubani tribal art in this standout solo show. Ananda means bliss and happiness in Sanskrit , both within the present day and according to the vedas and the Bhagavat Gita, eternal bliss. She has been privileged to be tutored by her gurus Ajay Sharma, based in Jaipur, India and Vidushini Prasad based in Bangalore.
She will humbly present some of her guru Ajay Sharma’s work at the exhibition too as it will highlight what she aspires to.

Please come and enjoy this journey of Indian art.

THE FIRE INSIDE
Simon Max Bannister
January 16 - February 9, 2025

This exhibition delves into the intricate interplay between the human spirit, and the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

The "fire inside" embodies our unique essence: our passions, creativity, and drive for meaning. However, technology can both ignite and extinguish this inner flame. While connecting us globally, it can also isolate, distract, and even threaten our sense of self. This exhibition explores these complexities, harnessing technology's potential while preserving individuality and fostering meaningful human connection.

Matariki
Rei Collective
June 21 - July 21, 2024

Ngā Whare o Takiwātanga
Hōhepa Cantebury
January 26 - February 4, 2024

Whakaraupō Carving Centre has been delivering a programme for a group of artists who are all part of the wider Hōhepa whānau, allowing them to experience a Māori creative kaupapa and present their creative mahi to the community at Te Whare o Rei.

The exhibiting artists created the theme and name of the exhibition, Ngā Whare o Takiwātanga / The Many Houses of Autism. The artists have undertaken rangahau/research relating to the individual themes their creations will represent, themes such as mana, whakapapa and aroha.

All of our creatives have had the opportunity to learn about concepts such as mana, mauri, tapu, noa, tikanga and kawa with mātauranga / knowledge and kōrero shared by our carvers.

Capture & Release
Kate McLeod
October 14 - November 4, 2023

For the first solo show hosted at Rei Gallery McLeod explains: “Each year I choose a one-word intention. This year’s word is ‘release’. Release represents several things: releasing those things that no longer serve me; releasing my creations into the care of others; releasing predisposed assumptions; releasing the viscous paint across the surface of the canvas; releasing the breath caught deep in my chest.”

“This habit of setting a one-word intention started a few years back when I became disillusioned with setting the same long list of New Year’s resolutions each year (and not achieving them). So now I set a one-word intention, to simplify and focus on what I want to improve. Release was a response to a feeling of blockage I had. Painting is the way through for me. Because on the other side of the struggle there is flow. Some days it comes fast. Some slow. Some not at all. Flow is elusive but the more I train the more I find it”.

“My painting practice grounds me in the physical, grounds me in nature. Setting an intention for each artwork is an important part of my process. It’s the process that keeps me coming back for more. The process of putting energy to canvas and creating a new reality that didn’t exist before. Energy captured as a tangible moment in time.”

“I make a mark, then wait for its response. Painting is a two-way conversation. It’s like a giant puzzle that needs to be solved. The challenge of solving the puzzle keeps me coming back for more. Capture then release. Capture then release.”

Matariki I
Rei Collective
July 7 - July 14

Nau mai, haere mai to our first exhibition for Matariki.

Rei gallery is located in one of the most unique parts of Aotearoa where celestial positions are reflected into the whenua. This is a time for us all to connect the skies with the whenua, bring stories to life, and find warmth in the long cold winter nights.

Join us for evenings of observation, reflection, and celebration in a unique time of the year.

REI

10b Norwich Quay | Lyttelton | 8082

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