Auckland Festival of Photography Art and Contemporary Art, News Archive

Welcome to Festival Zone for end May 2025

We're delighted to bring you the 22nd edition of our free Festival from Thursday 29 May, celebrating photography, connecting communities and enjoying visual arts. A good way to start the long holiday, King's Birthday, weekend in Tāmaki Makaurau for the official Festival 2025 season, the Festival has awesome outdoor activations that look great after dark.

Lightboxes - Sustain CBD 2025

In the heart of the city, CBD, opposite Britomart station, Auckland Festival of Photography lightboxes present work by Ardit Hoxha, NZ and Clara Watt, Senegal/Canada.

Anywhere Out of The World' is new work by Hoxha, during his residency in Tokyo, Japan in late 2024, Ardit was drawn to the explore the city's buildings, places of idling, interactive sites. In this series of images, Hoxha documents the sites of leisure and recreation he encountered in Tokyo as a Kōwhai artist-in-resident.

We're also proud to present Clara Watt's ‘The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values’ exhibition as part of the ‘Sustain’ [tautīnei] theme - in partnership with the Indian Photo Festival 2024 open call programme.

This project shows the impact of an anti-LGBTQ+ bill in Ghana using portraits and collage to show the contrast between expression and repression. Until 12 June, 7am. More details on our full 2025 outdoor programme here.

Thanks to Auckland Council City Activation and Placemaking team.

Sustain theme - Validity Period

Auckland Festival of Photography is proud to exclusively present a selection of Roman Butym and Pavlo Kyryk’s ‘Validity Period’ exhibition as part of the ‘Sustain’ [tautīnei] theme.

Validity Period is an artistic photo project focusing on the issues of overproduction and ecology through staged photographs.

The project was created in 2021 in Kraków. Opens 28 May to 15 June at Silo 7, Silo Park.

Roman Butym - Pavlo Kyryk - Valdity Period

Sanderson - Kate van der Drift

Kate ven der Drift's latest exploration of nature. The project explores the entangled social and ecological histories of Waitawa; the works engaging with the layered history of colonisation, industry, and environmental restoration and the awareness of climate change. Dance, Dance is a site-specific project created by award-winning photographer Kate van der Drift during her time on the Auckland Council residency 2024 in the Waitawa Regional Park.

Kate van der Drift; Nassella Tenuissima

Massey University presents; 50 years of Collecting

Te Kunenga Ki Purehuroa, Massey University presents a celebration of photography education.

Photography education plays a critical role in shaping the way we see, interpret, and engage with the world. This exhibition at the Albany campus in Auckland, includes work from the Massey University’s art collection which is normally displayed on its three campuses in Auckland, Wellington and Palmerston North.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Photography programme at our Wellington campus, Toi Rauwhārangi, College of Creative Arts, the exhibition brings together celebrated works from Mark Adams, Anne Noble, Ann Shelton, Erena Baker-Arapere, Yuki Kihara, Tony Whincup, Ben Cauchi, and recent works from faculty and graduates.

Erena Baker-Arapene; Tangowhakaahua 2006 - No 1

Talking Culture - Opening weekend

Sat 31st May

2pm, Auckland Central Library, whare wānanga, 2nd floor, Lorne St. Free.

Remarkable Survivors: Saving New Zealand’s history one photograph at a time

What happens when a photographer runs out of storage space, retires, dies or simply abandons his/her negatives? Photograph curator Keith Giles takes a look at why some studio collections no longer exist and how some photographs have miraculously survived into the 21st century.

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4pm Little Rosies Cafe, Parnell. Free.

A Talking Culture special event, as part of the ‘Sustain’ theme. 'From Stage to Stillness' by Maryanne Bilham:

This exclusive session reflects a transformation of art as a shift from external intensity to internal resonance—from the raw electricity of live concerts and the urgency of capturing fleeting moments, to a quieter, more reflective communion with nature and its quiet wisdom. After three decades as an international music photographer, Maryanne Bilham turned toward a new cadence—leaving behind the spotlight to re-settle in Aotearoa during the global pandemic. What began as an unexpected pause became a powerful turning point, leading to the founding of Flora Sanctum: a studio devoted to sustainable floristry and fine art floral photography. 4pm Little Rosies Cafe, Parnell. Free.

Maryanne Bilham; Flower

Maryanne Bilham, Flower.

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Online talk by Jon Carapiet - 5pm

Illustrated with AI photos and new work from AInthropology. Jon takes a critical look at emergence of AI in image-making and it’s impact on communications.

The presentation draws on the Legacy project (featured in last year’s Auckland Festival of Photography), and initial experiments with images for AInthropology.

Join Zoom Meeting. Limited places.
Online talk by Jon Carapiet - 5pm on Saturday 31 May:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/74333613843?pwd=DavxdNQCobkKZZsOv58XivOIEbj2xB.1

Meeting ID: 743 3361 3843
Passcode: 7s8XQa

Sunday 1st June

Photobook Sunday 12pm to 2.30pm

Auckland Festival of Photography presents Talking Culture - Photobook Panel.

The festival is pleased to bring to Auckland, for the 8th annual Photobook event - come along to see presentations from NZ artists/photographers, Alice Connew, Wendy Brandon and international publisher, Michael Itkoff, USA who have published or are in the planning/design phase for their photography books, while viewing a selection of these books in person.

MC Alasdair Foster, Talking Pictures, Australia.

This is an in-person informal onsite event, no online participation available.

Presentations - 25 mins + Q&A, 12pm to 2.30pm, Ground floor, Auckland Central Library, City.

Photobook Friday