Whanganui uri find space in Auckland to showcase artistic talents during difficult times for the Arts sector.

Despite the challenges currently facing the arts sector, Whanganui artist Jade Townsend (Ngāti Ruakā, Te Āti Haunui A Pāpārangi) has opened Season Aotearoa, a new gallery in the heart of Grey Lynn, Auckland.

https://youtu.be/RZERdCSV2aI

Pūrongo nā Te Kakenga Kawiti-Bishara, Multimedia Reporter, Taiuru News.

The gallery functions as a vital community hub, offering artists a platform to showcase their work and maintain connections. 

Townsend describes the space as having a humble quality that is adaptable for a variety of uses: "It’s a real humble space, but we get to, it kind of bends and stretches for lots of different uses."

Townsend feels deeply connected to the local area, noting that Grey Lynn's rich history makes it an ideal location for the project: 

"We’ve got to remember that Grey Lynn has this beautiful, abundant history of activism, it’s very multicultural and lot’s of artists still live here and raise their children here."

However, the current economic climate and pressure on arts funding remain significant concerns for the gallery and its artists: 

"The biggest challenges at the moment is the pressure that the Government is putting on Arts funding, our biggest relationships are with our artists and if our artists aren’t well, aren’t supported and aren’t stable then it's hard for them to make shows."

Townsend adds, "The hardest thing facing my industry at the moment is the economic climate that’s been created by the Government that we’ve got at the moment, so it doesn’t stop the incredible work from coming but we’re always concerned that our artists aren’t able to live the lives they deserve."

The gallery is currently hosting Queue, an exhibition by Tony Guo, which explores themes of identity and the connection between China and Aotearoa.