Art Week To Bring Hues Of Happiness This October

Auckland’s city centre will be radiating hues of happiness this October, with the return of Art Week, featuring a programme packed with over 70 events, exhibitions, installations and activations. Art Week, delivered by Heart of the City, and proudly supported by Auckland Council and the city centre targeted rate, runs from 4 to 13 October 2024.

The ten-day programme includes the welcome return of Changing Lanes, which will feature nine temporary public artworks in some of the city centre’s most loved laneways, over 25 free guided art walks and the opportunity to meet and create with 22 artists, while they work. Late Night Art, a highlight of the week, features over 40 events and activations including Late Night on High with an art market and roaming performers, the Urban Art Village on O’Connell Street, a midtown Street Art Festival, galleries open late, along with an annual exhibition from Fingers – celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and so much more.

Viv Beck, Heart of the City’s Chief Executive says:

“This is a weeklong celebration of creativity, and we’d love to see Aucklander's curiosity ignited and our streets jammed with people interacting with a lineup of unique activations”.

Barbara Holloway, Principal City Centre Experience, Auckland Council says:

“From the weird and wonderful to the awe inspiring and unexpected, the laneways and street art activations will animate the city’s public spaces day and night. These multimedia events follow a trail from an enormous, luminous digital sculpture to a laser light party and a graffiti art battle.”

The Art Week 2024 programme is heaving with experiences and will warrant more than one visit. Just some of the 70+ artworks, activations and exhibitions on across the week are listed below:

Changing Lanes: Nine temporary public artworks, including Morning Star (Ruler of Happiness) a digital sculpture by Karen Sewell in Bledisloe Lane and On happiness, a concrete poem for the city by Elliot Collins in Durham Street East. There will also be other works across seven other laneways and is proudly delivered by Auckland Council, with support from the city centre targeted rate

Late Night Art, Thursday, 10 October 5 pm – 9 pm, features over 40 events and activations across the High Street district, Queen Street area, Commercial Bay, Britomart, Aotea Square and the Viaduct. Highlights include:

- The High Street District: Late Night Art on High - an art market and roaming

performers, and Urban Art Village on O’Connell Street, along with Open Late at Ellen Melville Centre with markets and workshops, including 22 artists painting live for Meet the Artists where the public will be able chat to the artists and create a combined, community artwork. Taste of Art Battle will see professional artists and on-the-day sign-ups compete in a live painting battle judged by the audience and Jazz on Vulcan brings musicians performing throughout the evening.

The Midtown Street Art Festival will kick off during Art Week and includes the Strand Arcade with workshops, talks and exhibitions, and Khartoum After Dark will bring music and art to complement the Auckland Art Gallery’s programming across the road.

New artwork and lighting installations will be on display including on the Deloitte Centre, Te Ara I Whiti - The Lightpath and Viaduct Harbour, along with Soo Park’s installation Pink Blossoming Spring on the Freyberg Steps.

Exhibitions will be on at the Auckland Art Gallery, Gow Langsford, Kura, So/Hotel, and Gus Fisher Gallery, along with Fingers Gallery, with its 50th anniversary annual group show, celebrating being the oldest contemporary jewellers in the world – and 50 years of doing business in the city centre. They will also all be open late for Late Night Art.

The full Art Week programme will be launched 16 September at heartofthecity.co.nz/artweek

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