Late Night Art | Aotearoa Contemporary

Young Members | Artist Talk: Jac​k Hadley

5.30–6.30pm

Members Lounge Level 2

Join other Young Members for a talk with artist Jack Hadley, whose work is part of our exhibition Aotearoa Contemporary. Hadley will chat about his playful installations and more with Curatorial Assistant Ruth Minh Ha in our Members Lounge. Following a show-and-tell format, this conversation will feature the homemade electronic circuits, flat-pack furniture and contemporary jewellery that Hadley creates and uses in his practice. 

This event is part of our Young Members event programme, for the bold and curious under 40 (and young at heart). If you are a Gallery Members you and a friend can enjoy this talk for free. Please book ahead to secure your spot. Complimentary drinks supplied by our partner, Almighty.

Photo credit: Jack Hadley, PFS-R 2024. Commissioned by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, 2024. Photo by David St George.

박성환 Sung Hwan ‘Bobby’ Park | BTM Recruitment Picture Day

6-7pm

Aotearoa Contemporary exhibition space, Level 1

Come along and get your picture taken wearing one of the helmets from the sculptural installation BTM 딩댕동 Ding Deng Dong 2024, created by 박성환 Sung Hwan ‘Bobby’ Park for Aotearoa Contemporary. Performing the information processing at a recruitment station, this event furthers Park’s exploration of his compulsory enlistment in the South Korean military as a gay man and invites the audience to reflect on themes of protection, identity, and personal expression.

 

This is a unique opportunity to engage directly with the artwork and be part of Park’s growing collection of BTM photographs – or you can take your polaroid portrait home!

 

Sung Hwan Bobby Park (born 1989; South Korea; lives and works in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland) holds a Bachelor of Design from Auckland University of Technology. Working in ceramics, performance and photography, Park came to prominence for his ongoing series of ceramic ‘bullet-proof helmets’, titled B.T.M. (or 방탄모 bangtanmo in Korean), which explore his experience in the Korean military as a Queer man. In 2023, Park received the The Arts Foundation Springboard Award and his work is held in the collection of Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

Photo credit: Bobby Park, 'Col G', 2024. Photo by Josh Harvey.

Jahra Wasasala DRA

7–7.30pm

Aotearoa Contemporary exhibition, Level 1

Jahra Wasasala uses their body as a central site of rhythmic exploration, often incorporating traditions of dance as varied as Krump, FlexN, Japanese Butoh, and Fijian Meke as languages of movement that hold the potential to world-build and ‘world-bend’. Within their practice Wasasala incorporates elements of costume design, sculpture, soundscape, poetry and digital animation to elaborate on these explorations, creating immersive environments that are activated through performance or other elements. 

In DRA, 2024, a hanging garment-body is presented as a static presence within the exhibition space, offering a material interrogation of the ways institutions conserve and preserve once-living things, such as the colossal squid held in the collections of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Meaning ‘blood’ in Fijian, DRA references the lifeforce which is disrupted through these practices of conservation, upon which Wasasala and a cast of performers re-enliven and repair the natural decaying process of through dance activation.

During the performance, the performer will wear the garment-body, moving through multiple timelines and senses, e.g. being born from and shedding the garment as a ‘new’ being, being mutated into the garment, being swallowed into and swollen by the garment. This will be accompanied by a commissioned soundtrack created by Oliva ‘Spewer’ Luki.

Photo credit: Jocelyn Janon 

 

The Killing | Plushie Workshop

7.30–9pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium

Join us as we create alongside the creators of your favourite plushie playground – The Killing!  
 
The artists behind Imaginary Friends invite you to imagine, draw, sew and collaborate to create your very own mini Plushie Pal.  
 
Materials provided for – just bring your imagination. 

The Killing is an artist collective currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. They are a collective that values self-determination and self-liberation through collective effort. Founded through the friendships formed during their undergraduate years at the Elam School of Fine Arts (2018–2021), The Killing is based in friendship, family and love as they strive towards undoing white wall traditions and platforming newfound collectivism. 

Photo credit: courtesy of the artist

Jane Olsen & Damon Arts

5 – 9pm

Te Ātea | North Atrium 

Enjoy our airy Te Ātea | North Atrium space where you can chill out with pals and enjoy relaxed beats by DJs Jane Olsen & Damon Arts.

 

As a DJ since the age of 17, Damon Arts has immersed himself in New Zealand's UK influenced bass scene. His move to Amsterdam in 2015 connected him with his Dutch roots and introduced him to Europe's rich history of house, techno, break-beat and electronic music. His sound has since evolved to a broad mix of old and new to suit. Jane Olsen’s performances are captivating and coursing with vitality, as they journey between up-front acid, deep bass, and floating percussion. They reflect the seasons: slow, blue-cold, and brilliant in winter, jubilant and rejuvenating in spring.

Photo credit: Lucas Perelini

Passa Passa

5–9pm

Gallery Forecourt

Passa Passa is an ode to Italian dining as it was always meant to be.

Serving some of the most authentic pizza fritta in Auckland, and other feel-good street food delicacies, you’ve probably seen us at Garage Project, Ozone or one of the city’s epic night markets.

We bring fun and affordable Italian food to the city, right when you need it the most. Our menu changes with the seasons, which means you get some of the freshest, most inspired food that Auckland has to offer.

Photo credit: Passa Passa