Welcome to Festival Zone for early May 2026.

Movement [Kori] - NZ Herald Photojournalists

Auckland Festival of Photography 2026 presents the 5th annual exhibition with NZ Herald photographers. In response to the theme this year for 2026, Movement [Kori], NZ Herald photographers were asked to share their work for the theme.

NZ Herald photographers and New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) photographers are always tasked with obtaining an image that reflects and illustrates the key visual of a story, to unlock interest and engage the viewer. NZME's 2026 exhibition for AFP invites the viewer to view photography as it relates to Movement [Kori].

Nikora Puhi-Royal from the North Shore taking part in the Z Manu World Champs, once again to celebrate this beloved Kiwi pastime – the Manu (or dive bomb). 22 February 2025

New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell
 

Thanks to Queens Wharf team at Auckland Council.

Gus Fisher Gallery - Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore

Studies for a Keepsake is the first exhibition of pioneering artists Claude Cahun (1894-1954) and Marcel Moore (1892-1972) in Aotearoa.

Visionary artists and activists associated with the French Surrealist movement, Cahun and Moore were lifelong partners and collaborators whose fearlessness in art was reflected wholeheartedly in life. As gender non-conforming artists who defied the social norms of the time, they used their art as a form of resistance. Spanning writing, photography, collage, performance and sculpture, their creative output is considered to have been decades ahead of its time.

Studies for a Keepsake showcases over seventy prints including Surrealist portraits of Cahun, created together with Moore during the 1920s and 1930s. Never exhibited during their lifetime, these photographs have become some of the most enduringly recognisable and defining of the 20th century.

By reflecting on the work of Cahun and Moore from a century later, Studies for a Keepsake celebrates the importance of their art, writing and activism and its resounding call for acceptance and social cohesion. (text courtesy of Gus Fisher Gallery, abridged).

Image: Claude Cahun & Marcel Moore, Untitled [I am in training, don’t kiss me], 1927. Courtesy of Jersey Heritage Collections.

Celebrating NZ artists 2026

Coming soon in late May and early June are leading artists work, presented by both galleries and artist led exhibitions, we recommend these as a starting point for collectors and our community.

Ann Shelton, i am an old phenomenon – Two Rooms, Ponsonby

Ruby Millichamp, Common Senses: Micro dramas and other cardboard conundrums - Massey University Library, Albany

Shared Lunch by Ruby Millichamp.

More leading exhibition artists and full details on our new redeveloped the Calendar this year

Brand Ambassador Day

Brand Ambassador Day event supported by Harvey Norman: Two afternoons of talks, a panel and interactions with some leading professional photographers, who will share stories about their photographic journey and how and why they shoot how they do.

It's educational and free, so do come along! Midday start, 5^th and 6^th June 2026.

Confirmed for 5^th June are sessions by Dave Laux, Nikon Ambassador and Tom Ang, Sony Ambassador. More to come on our social media, full line up soon!

Full details and schedule, complimentary coffee and nibbles (whilst stocks last) during the breaks between sessions, gear available to try.

FREE to attend. Don't miss this event, 2 days only.

NZ Music Month late May