SCAPE appoints Aaron Kreisler as Managing Curator

SCAPE Public Art has appointed Ōtautahi-based curator, writer and arts leader Aaron Kreisler as its next Managing Curator.

Kreisler is Head of Creative and Digital Arts at the University of Canterbury and former Head of the Ilam School of Fine Arts. He succeeds Tyson Campbell, whose term concluded earlier this year, and will work across SCAPE’s 2026-2027 public art programme.

A freelance curator and award-winning arts commentator, Kreisler previously worked at Dunedin Public Art Gallery, where he produced more than 50 exhibitions, including international collaborations such as Artists from Aotearoa/New Zealand with a co-curator from the Frankfurter Kunstverein and Where do I end and you begin, with co-curators from Edinburgh’s City Art Centre.

SCAPE Public Art Executive Director Rachel Jefferies says the organisation is excited to welcome Kreisler into the role.

“Aaron brings a thoughtful curatorial approach, significant experience and strong connections across the arts sector. His understanding of contemporary public art and artist development will be a real asset for SCAPE as we continue to evolve our programme.

“We aim to facilitate projects that are ambitious, engaging and capable of sparking conversation, and still grounded in the experience of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Aaron brings the insight and leadership to help shape that next chapter for SCAPE.”

Kreisler says he is interested in how public art can create new ways for people to experience the city and engage with contemporary ideas.

“I think temporary public art should be more than placeholders, and I see this as a chance to commission work that reveals and responds to the historical, social and cultural residues of sites in the city that lie psychologically just below the surface in our shared public consciousness.  

I am interested in how the artworks can create experiences that resonate well beyond the moment of engagement and generate new discussions and perspectives that shift how we see and understand this city.”

The 2026–2027 programme of new temporary public art commissions across the city will be announced progressively throughout the year.

As Managing Curator, Kreisler will work with artists and industry partners to develop and deliver SCAPE’s future public art programme.

Founded in 1998, SCAPE Public Art has delivered 18 seasons of temporary public art projects and installed 19 permanent artworks across Ōtautahi Christchurch and Rolleston. The charitable organisation is supported by businesses, donors, grant funders, Christchurch City Council and Creative New Zealand, with more than 85 percent of its funding sourced privately.

From Student Winner to Festival Artist

Ōtautahi Christchurch artist Mollie Shaw has come full circle with SCAPE Public Art.

Five years after being named a winner in SCAPE’s student public art competition (now called Inside Out), she has been selected as one of the featured artists in SCAPE Public Art Season 2025.

As a secondary school student, Shaw’s winning sculpture design, The Strong Woman, was celebrated for its bold vision and youthful energy. The recognition affirmed her creative path and helped shape her development as an artist. Now she is returning to SCAPE as a professional, joining a lineup of contemporary artists from Aotearoa and beyond whose works will bring life to public spaces all summer.

“Mollie’s journey epitomises what SCAPE is about—nurturing talent, fostering connections with public space, and supporting artists to grow from the classroom to international platforms,” says Rachel Jefferies, Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art. “Inside Out gives young people the chance to imagine their own public art around the city, and Mollie shows what can happen when those ideas are encouraged.”

Of her public art debut at age 18, Mollie Shaw says “having your idea made into something tangible was quite mind-blowing.” Although she’d always wanted to be an artist, her experience with SCAPE Public Art expanded her sense of the career possibilities, she says, “it made me realise that there are no limitations.”

Shaw graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, at the end of 2024. Her involvement in Season 2025 is the serendipitous result of a deepening relationship between Ilam and SCAPE; her work was spotted by SCAPE Managing Curator Tyson Campbell when he visited Ilam’s 2024 graduating exhibition.

Mollie Shaw - The Strong Woman, 2020

More about Mollie’s work for SCAPE Season 2025.

Image: Mollie Shaw’s student artwork, The Strong Woman, 2020, produced by SCAPE Public Art (photo: Heather Milne)

Great SCAPE Art Heist ends happily

No furniture escalators were harmed in the making of this true story.
Recent events in Ōtautahi Christchurch prove you don’t have to travel far for a little art-inspired mischief. Mercifully, all’s well now – with help from local businesses, Metalworld and StopDigging.

MEDIA RELEASE: 21 NOVEMBER 2025

The sculpture for SCAPE Public Art that was stolen from central Christchurch two weeks ago has been reinstated.

Doctrines, by New Zealand artist George Watson, disappeared some time late on Thursday 6 November or early on Friday 7 November. The artwork is part of SCAPE’s Season 2025: The Limits of Language, a festival of free public art for summer.

Police found the sculpture disassembled and hidden in bushes near its site (corner of Cambridge Tce and Hereford St).

“Police advised us to uplift the sculpture immediately lest the thieves return,” says Rachel Jefferies, Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art. “Since then, we have consulted the project engineers and repaired minor damage to the piece. We are especially grateful to Metalworld for their expert fabrication, and to StopDigging, who have come on board and gifted their ground screw system for the reinstatement. It’s a relief to have the artwork back where it was meant to be, so residents and visitors can enjoy it over the summer.”

SCAPE was already using the StopDigging ground screws for a much larger temporary artwork – Vaimaila Urale’s O Le Sami Po Uliuli II. Urale’s sculpture is a striking blue laser-cut aluminium structure on a steel frame, about four metres high, which is standing in the Botanic Gardens.

SCAPE routinely works with artists, engineers and council consenting officers to ensure the design, fabrication and installation of public art is safe and can survive the rigours of public space. All sculptures are insured. For SCAPE, this is the first time an entire artwork has been stolen.

Artist line-up announced for SCAPE Public Art Season 2025

Ōtautahi Christchurch’s cityscape will once again be transformed when SCAPE Public Art Season 2025 opens on 7 November 2025, running until 1 February 2026.

This year’s theme, the limits of language, invites artists to explore how ideas move beyond words, using public art to test the borders of communication, connection and expression.

The artist line-up for Season 2025 brings together leading Aotearoa New Zealand and international voices:

  • Vaimaila Urale (Samoa) – an interdisciplinary artist whose ASCII-based graphic compositions merge digital language with traditional Samoan motifs, exhibited widely across Aotearoa and internationally. Urale is based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
  • George Watson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Mutunga, Moriori) – artist whose practice spans painting, installation, and writing. Watson is based in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa Poverty Bay. Watson’s work has been shown around the country, most recently at Robert Heald Gallery, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington (2025); The Physics Room, Christchurch; Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki; and Hastings Art Gallery.
  • Gus Dark – a Balinese illustrator and activist whose visual work blends art with social critique, from anti-corruption campaigns to environmental advocacy, and has been shown in Indonesia, Switzerland and the USA.
  • Sabin Holloway – photographer and cinematographer based in Ōhinehou Lyttelton whose work finds beauty in the unexpected, bridging commercial and artistic worlds.
  • Nichola Shanley – multidisciplinary artist based in Ōhinehou Lyttelton known for cross-genre works in silk, ceramics and light, drawing on mythology, ritual, and the sacred and profane.
  • Mollie Shaw – an Ōtautahi Christchurch designer, who recently graduated from the Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury. Shaw uses visual communication to interrogate migration, power, and systems of control.

Alongside work by these professional artists, SCAPE will unveil two murals and two sculptures by winners of its ‘Inside Out’ aspiring artist competition for school students. These works will respond to the same theme, demonstrating the creativity of young people across Ōtautahi and showcasing the future of public art in Aotearoa. 

SCAPE Public Art Executive Director Rachel Jefferies says the 2025 programme will resonate with audiences across the city:

“The limits of language is about what happens when words fail us – and how art can step in to bridge that gap. This year’s artists bring diverse perspectives that will spark fresh conversations in Ōtautahi Christchurch’s streets and public spaces.”

Since 1999, SCAPE has transformed Ōtautahi into a city where people encounter cutting-edge contemporary art in their daily lives, enhancing shared spaces and creating lasting cultural landmarks. Season 2025 continues this legacy, with works that are bold, challenging, free to view, and accessible to all.

Event details
Central City, Friday 7 November 2025 – Sunday 1 February 2026

SCAPE announces new Executive Director

Pakeha woman with long dark hair swept to one side, wearing a pale jacket over a black crew neck top. She stands in front of foliage.

Ōtautahi Christchurch-based arts leader Rachel Jefferies has been appointed Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art, Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading producer of contemporary public art.

She takes over from Richard Aindow, who started his new role as Chief Executive of The Court Theatre earlier this week.

SCAPE Chair Graham Dockrill said the Board undertook a rigorous recruitment process, with the generous support of Brannigans, to identify the right candidate from a strong field of applicants.

“Rachel brings a rare combination of strategic insight and hands-on experience across business development, event production, philanthropy, and fundraising consultancy,” says Mr Dockrill. “Her deep understanding of the arts ecosystem and her commitment to community engagement made her a standout choice.”

Rachel Jefferies says she was drawn to the role by SCAPE’s unique position in the cultural landscape:

“SCAPE’s work sits at the intersection of creativity, community, and place. I’m honoured to lead an organisation that not only commissions bold, contemporary public art but also fosters meaningful connections between artists and audiences across Ōtautahi and beyond.”

Born and raised in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Rachel’s career has spanned Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington and Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland before she returned to live in Ōhinehou Lyttelton in 2021. A classically trained percussionist, she began her professional life as a performer before moving into arts management. Her previous roles include senior positions with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Auckland Philharmonia.

She currently serves on the boards of the Tim Bray Theatre Company (a specialist children’s theatre in Auckland) and Te Ūaka The Lyttelton Museum. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours (Victoria University of Wellington), a Diploma in Publishing (Whitireia Polytechnic), and an MBA (The University of Auckland).

Rachel will commence her role with SCAPE on Friday 27 June 2025.

SCAPE Executive Director to leave for Court Theatre

SCAPE Public Art is announcing Executive Director Richard Aindow will leave the organisation in three months to become Chief Executive of The Court Theatre in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Graham Dockrill, Chair of SCAPE Public Art, thanks Richard for his leadership. “Richard has been an excellent Executive Director for SCAPE at a time of transition for the organisation, and we wish him well in his new role, which is a strong endorsement of arts leadership in our city.

Richard Aindow joined SCAPE Public Art two years ago and Mr Dockrill says that “over the last two years SCAPE has delivered strongly in times of economic uncertainty. We have a brilliant team in place and will continue to work hard to expand and deliver our programmes.  We are excited to see how a new perspective will build on Richard’s hard work and continue to grow SCAPE’s presence as New Zealand’s leading producer of contemporary public art.”

Richard Aindow speaks passionately about his time at SCAPE. “As only the second Executive Director in the organisation’s 27-year history it has been a huge privilege to lead SCAPE Public Art. Although I will be sad to leave the team, I will certainly remain connected to the SCAPE whānau and community.  I cannot wait to see new permanent artworks arriving across our city and region, adding to the 20 legacy works currently in public space. I also look forward to sharing the excitement of the SCAPE Public Art Season 2025 as a passionate observer.”

Richard Aindow is set to depart from SCAPE on 20 June 2025. To ensure a seamless transition and continued momentum, SCAPE has partnered with Brannigans to launch an executive recruitment campaign. Led by Brannigans’ experienced team, the process begins today to identify a successor who will drive SCAPE forward into its next chapter.

VIEW THE JOB AD

Major artwork a taonga for Rolleston

Selwyn District’s newest public artwork will be officially opened on 6 July 2024.

Toro Atua, by Dr Areta Wilkinson (Ngāi Tahu), is intended as a legacy for future generations.

Made up of twenty shimmering, stainless-steel figures on golden poles up to four metres tall, the artwork will be a distinctive landmark in Rolleston Town Centre. It will be permanently located in the reserve next to Te Ara Ātea, Rolleston’s cultural and community hub.

Dr Wilkinson was commissioned to create Toro Atua by a panel from the Rolleston Residents’ Association, Selwyn District Council, SCAPE Public Art and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu, following a competitive selection process. SCAPE Public Art fund-raised over 50% of the project budget to supplement historical council funds that had been set aside for a public artwork.

The opening event, hosted by Selwyn District Council, will be at 5.30pm on Saturday 6 July. It is a free, public event, and everyone is welcome.

Selwyn District Mayor Sam Broughton says, “watching the work take shape, I’m sure that the artist has more than achieved her vision of creating a distinctive herald of Rolleston, which will delight and intrigue residents and visitors.” Toro Atua is another sign of Rolleston, and Selwyn District, coming of age, says Mr Broughton: “not only are we the fastest growing centre in the region, but we are also becoming more confident in embracing and celebrating our distinctive landscape and cultural heritage.”

The sculpture draws on the cultural narrative for Te Ara Ātea gifted to Selwyn District Council by mana whenua, Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu.

Ruahikihikitanga Portfolio Leader, Puamiria Parata-Goodall welcomed the artist’s sensitive response to mana whenua stories. “Toro Atua reflects many strands of the narrative, where we speak to the whakapapa, kōrero and mahinga kai traditional food and resource practices. Another key aspect is the importance of the site as a pouwhenua or marker in the network of traditional and contemporary trails across the landscape of Tauwharekākaho Rolleston.”

Artist Dr Areta Wilkinson says creating Toro Atua is an immense privilege and a career highlight. “Objects become taonga through the community of care around them. Already many people have contributed their energy and skill to this project. My hope is that Toro Atua will become integral to the sense of identity and landscape of generations of local people.”

Dr Wilkinson paid tribute to the team at ENI Engineering in Christchurch, despite it being a departure from her usual hands-on approach to artmaking. “It’s been great, actually; they have taken a lot of care, and we have worked very well together.”

Josh Down of ENI Engineering says one-off jobs like Toro Atua require close attention to detail. “We’re lucky to have guys on staff who love a challenge. I think they’ve done the work proud, and it’s a great showcase for local manufacturing.”

After the completed figures were set in place, specialist lighting was installed by CORDE to enhance the impact of the artwork at night.

The Rolleston Residents Association chair Mark Alexander says they are pleased to have been part of the process of bringing this artwork to our Rolleston community and to our Selwyn District. “We thank all that have contributed including the artist Dr Areta Wilkinson and especially SCAPE Public Art whose fundraising efforts doubled the available funds for the project.”

Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art, Richard Aindow, says Toro Atua represents a new departure for the Christchurch-based organisation. “In its 26-year history, SCAPE has engaged with over 250 artists, including producing 17 permanent artworks, in Christchurch. Public art has such power to connect people in and to public spaces, so as a Selwyn District resident myself, it’s a thrill to produce artwork that Rolleston residents can enjoy in their own backyard,” he says.

SCAPE thanks the project’s funders and sponsors, who made the work possible. They are:

Opening Event Details:

Saturday 6 July, 5.30pm. Rolleston Reserve, behind Te Ara Ātea, 56 Tennyson Street, Rolleston.

Please dress warmly and bring a torch. This is a free public event hosted by Selwyn District Council that will feature Ngāi Tahu storytelling by Juanita Hepi; everyone is welcome.

More about the artwork:

Themes

In developing this artwork, Dr Areta Wilkinson identified three “premises” arising from the cultural narrative of Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu about the original village Orariki. These premises are:

Mauri: the life-giving force. In this artwork, “mauri is expressed through an assembly of imagined figures teaming with liveliness. Semblances of feathered, land-bound or marine creatures, these characters both familiar and other worldly vibrate with life from their elevated stations high above our heads,” says Dr Wilkinson.

Mahinga Kai: natural resources and the traditional practices of harvesting, preparation and storage, according to the seasons, which entailed migration through the landscape.

Pouwhenua: wayfinding, ancient trails, new directions. “Toro means to scout, explore and extend. Toro Atua are divine scouts sent forth to search, guide and scrutinise our movement and impact on this whenua,” says Dr Wilkinson.

Visual Language

Toro Atua employs an original visual language developed by the artist, drawing inspiration from ancestral rock art. The figures on each pole are not intended to directly map onto or represent specific natural or supernatural creatures. Instead, the artist invites us to be curious and use our imagination when we look at Toro Atua. “Shapes are evocative – bearing a hint or trace of something we recognise,” she says.

Relationship to broader creative practice

Dr Wilkinson sees Toro Atua as part of a broader exploration of mahinga kai, which can also be seen in smaller works shown in recent years, including in:

Paemanu: Tauraka Toi. A Landing Place, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 2021-22

Moa-Hunter Fashions, Christchurch Art Gallery, 202-21

 

Major public artwork now in production for Rolleston

SCAPE Public Art is delighted to announce that fundraising is complete for the planned public sculpture in Rolleston Town Centre.

Toro Atua, by Ngāi Tahu artist and Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Dr Areta Wilkinson, is now being fabricated.

It will be the largest public artwork in Rolleston.

Toro Atua will be installed in Rolleston Town Centre’s newly developed reserve, surrounded by Te Ara Ātea, the sensory garden, and youth recreation space.

Toro Atua will be officially opened at a public celebration on 6 July.

SCAPE Public Art project consultant Deborah McCormick thanked all the local businesses and individuals who have contributed to the project, which has a design life of at least 50 years, saying “you are creating a legacy of ambition, inspiration and beauty for future generations.”

Toro Atua is set to become a taonga for the community and an iconic landmark for Rolleston’s rapidly-growing centre. It was commissioned through a competitive selection process by a panel comprising the Rolleston Residents’ Association, Selwyn District Council, SCAPE Public Art, and Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu. The Rolleston Residents’ Association committed $220,000 towards the total project budget of $450,000. The residents’ association contribution came from historic council funds associated with the Rolleston area. The council delegated the authority to the Rolleston Residents’ Association for decision-making for a public art project for the new Rolleston Town Centre.

It was then up to SCAPE Public Art to secure the remaining funds. Contributions to the total value of $230,000 have now been received from: Creative New Zealand & Tawera Studios, CORDE, ENI Engineering, the Rolleston family, Rātā Foundation, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu, Cooper Developments, Hughes Construction, Isaac Group, IPort Business Park, and TM Consultants. “Everyone involved in the project is excited to see the finished work live in the landscape for decades to come,” says Ms McCormick.

Selwyn District Mayor, Sam Broughton thanked all those involved in the project. He says this public art complements the other work in the town centre and the vision to create a welcoming place for families of all ages to enjoy. “Toro Atua will not only enhance our public spaces but also celebrates the unique stories and heritage of Waikirikiri Selwyn.”

Dr Wilkinson’s distinctive and meaningful new artwork, Toro Atua, takes inspiration from ancestral rock art of Te Waipounamu. The work comprises 20 light-reflecting stainless-steel figures, mounted on tall, slender poles to vibrate with life, shimmering slightly in the air far above our heads. The tallest of these poles will be 4 metres high. The 20 figures will be arranged in groups throughout the reserve, leading people through the landscape and indicating areas of importance.

Fabrication is being done by Christchurch firm, ENI Engineering.

Image: Areta Wilkinson, Toro Atua, 2023, new public artwork for Rolleston Town Centre, artist impression (render detail day). Image by Georgina Stokes.

Jon Jeet’s He Toki Maitai gets permanent home

A monumental-size steel toki has a new home in New Brighton, Christchurch.

SCAPE Public Art commissioned artist Jon Jeet to create the piece in 2022. It was on temporary display at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.

The artwork, He Toki Maitai 2022, now has a permanent home next to the Roy Stokes Community Hall, Seaview Road. Jeet lives in North New Brighton, just a short walk away.

The toki is located inside the boundary of the old New Brighton School. For Jeet, “it’s a full circle” since he had his art studio at the old school for several years after the Canterbury earthquakes. “It takes me back to building relations with Renew New Brighton and the many, many artists who were there.”

The Executive Director of SCAPE Public Art, Richard Aindow says it’s exciting to bring “Jon’s wonderful work” to New Brighton. “SCAPE’s vision is to bring permanent artworks to life in communities across the whole city. It’s immensely satisfying to install a piece where the artist lives and works.”

A team effort

SCAPE Public Art projects rely on goodwill and in-kind support from Christchurch businesses, along with private donations and community grants. Jon Jeet particularly wants to thank Leigh Mason, Director of Coombes Sheet Metal and Fabrication, for assistance in the initial construction. Naylor Love, Grant MacKinnon of DGM Group, Lewis Bradford, Christchurch NZ, the Christchurch City Council Public Art Advisory Group, and a number of individual supporters, helped make it possible to move the artwork and install it permanently in New Brighton.

What is this artwork about?

A toki is usually translated as ‘adze’ in English. Traditionally, Māori shaped and used toki made from pounamu or stone for a number of purposes, from gardening to rakau whakairo (wood carving). They could also be carried ceremonially as a symbol of power and authority.

In 2022, Jamie Hanton, then Managing Curator at SCAPE Public Art, approached Jon Jeet to create an artwork in response to the theme Sweat Equity, where different artists explored the effect of capital and labour on bodies.

Jeet is of Ngāti Maniapoto and Fijian Indian heritage. As a young man he spent a great deal of time working with his hands and labouring manually, coming from a family where money was tight and “higher education and critical thinking were luxuries.”

The use of a digging tool references Jeet’s Indian ancestors who were brought to Fiji as indentured labourers. In that sense, too, the artwork’s permanent location is particularly fitting because the old school, which was closed after the quakes, is in the process of being re-developed as housing. “The earthquakes happened and I wanted to make a work that talked about we’re ploughing into the soil again.”

As well as its traditional function, the pounamu toki form is worn as adornment. Jeet has established a career as an outstanding sculptor and carver, having made thousands of toki; he continues to engage in a form of manual labour.

He Toki Maitai can be translated as beautiful toki or foreign/steel toki. Both translations speak to the different traditions of craft that have travelled to Ōtautahi across oceans along with their chosen materials, or else have adapted to new resources and technologies.

We’re Going on an Art Hunt

This school holidays, try our free Family Art Adventure, and go in the draw for great prizes.

Here’s what you do:

  1. Pick up a treasure map from Tūranga (Hapori/Level 1) or the Tiny Toy Shop at The Arts Centre (upstairs above Frances Nation), or download one from here and print it out.
  2. Follow the red line to find each artwork. Scoot, walk, bike, skate, or get a piggy back …
  3. When you get to each artwork, answer the question on the back of the map.
  4. Put your name and details on your map and drop it back. There’s a lollipop treat available at the Tiny Toy Shop.

Winners will be drawn on 29 February 2024. If you win, we will contact you.

First Prize = $200 voucher from the Tiny Toy Shop

Runners-up = 2x $50 vouchers from The Drawing Room

We hope you have fun exploring free-to-view public art as a family.

We’d love to see your photos: tag us @scapepublicart.

Good luck!

Walk the red line for art

Four kilometres of red fabric tape is being laid on footpaths in central Ōtautahi Christchurch, to guide people around the 2023 Season of SCAPE Public Art.

Six new temporary artworks will be in place by the end of Thursday 23 November on sites along the Ōtākaro Avon River, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, and Christchurch Casino.

In its 25th anniversary year, SCAPE Public Art has chosen to support work by New Zealand artists who have never produced public art before. “It is a privilege to provide opportunities for these exciting artists and bring free-to-view public art to the people of Christchurch,” says SCAPE Executive Director Richard Aindow.

Works by artists Priscilla Rose Howe, Susu Tzu-Cheng, Te Ara Minhinnick, Tūī Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield, Maioha Kara, and Synthia Bahati are being released for the Season opening, all responding to the theme ‘The Gift,’ set by Managing Curator Tyson Campbell. Artists Ming Ranginui and Denise Porter-Howland will have their works released as additional gifts to Ōtautahi in the New Year.

Aindow says that SCAPE’s Season enables artists to create work that is often more ambitious than they could produce on their own and enables the public to engage with fresh ideas and innovative production methods.

Two murals and three sculptures by competition-winning, school students supported by SCAPE will be installed at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in time for the public opening at midday on Saturday (25 November).

SCAPE’s public art trail is marked by a red line on central city footpaths. Fold-out maps are available from Tūranga, The Arts Centre, and some cafés and galleries. A simple ‘Family Art Adventure’ challenge will also launch on Saturday, with a Grand Prize of a $200 voucher from the Tiny Toy Shop at The Arts Centre.

The season officially runs from 25 November 2023 to 17 February 2024.

SCAPE Public Art has been installing free-to-view public art in Ōtautahi Christchurch for 25 years. It is the largest producer of public art in Aotearoa New Zealand. SCAPE is a charitable trust, which operates thanks to numerous partnerships with industry and the generosity of patrons and sponsors, many of whom help in production of the artworks. The Platinum Sponsors of Season 2023 are: Christchurch City Council, Creative NZ, Rātā Foundation, and The Lion Foundation

New SCAPE Managing Curator bringing an inspiring new season of public art to Ōtautahi

New SCAPE Managing Curator bringing an inspiring new season of public art to Ōtautahi.

The artists for SCAPE Public Art Season 2023 have been announced, and the line-up promises to deliver a dynamic, youthful season of temporary artworks in central Ōtautahi  Christchurch.

SCAPE Public Art has confirmed the new season dates for 2023, a 12-week festival of free-to-view public art running from 25 November 2023 to 17 February 2024. The SCAPE season is a highlight in the cultural calendar in Ōtautahi, comprising eight new temporary artworks that will serve as the perfect incentive for residents and visitors to head out and explore their city this summer.

Season 2023 is the first in Tyson Campbell’s three-year tenure as SCAPE’s new Managing Curator. Campbell hand-picked each of the eight season artists for their unique interpretations of the season theme, The Gift.

Read the full media release here, Word doc or PDF.

Season 2023 artists from top left: Ming Ranginui, Te Ara Minhinnick, Synthia Bahati, Susu, Tūi Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield, Denise Porter-Howland, Priscilla Rose Howe, Maioha Kara