From the miniature to the monumental
This year, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre hosts its largest Sculpture Festival yet. With over 300 works on display from 73 artists across the motu, curators Melissa Reimer and Ryan Dewsbury return for their second year at the helm.
Wander the grounds and you may encounter a ponderous seated rhinoceros, a sea of jellyfish with an environmental message, or a five-foot-tall clockwork-driven steelwork inspired by the works of W.B. Yeats.
Draw your eye to the small-scale and discover matchboxes, quirky animals, and abstract ceramic vessels. Closer still, and you’ll find a Sculpture Festival signature selection of glass, alongside work from eight leading contemporary jewellers showing pieces crafted to be worn.
Among this year’s makers is local artist and sculptor Tim Main. Main works with reclaimed oak and ceramic, exploring the inherent beauty, order, and purpose observed in nature. His newest series, Nocturnes, renders that harmony in the individually handcrafted feathers of Aotearoa’s iconic owl, the ruru; a natural medley that builds a cohesive, contemplative whole.
For the first time, Reimer and Dewsbury are also pulling the festival into the sonic, with kinetic musical sculpture and an outdoor soundscape running throughout the season.
A major annual fundraiser for The Arts Centre and the artists, every sale helps keep Ōtautahi Christchurch’s creative scene alive. The full festival is free to explore every day, with outdoor works accessible around the clock. Visit 10am–5pm daily, 10–26 October, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre.