Studio Insights - July 2026
Another month that was super busy outside of the studio - I barely made it in during July, unfortunately! I just moved house and took on a bit of extra work, so life got in the way. Thankfully I still made it along to a few beautiful and inspiring displays of creativity. The theme this month was all about Matariki.
Matariki celebrations
I’ve loved embracing the culture of ‘te Mātahi o te Tau’ each year with the recent introduction (since 2022) of Matariki as an official public holiday. It’s a bit crazy it took so long for such a crucial part of NZ to be recognised as a holiday! Regardless, it’s a much-welcome addition, and it’s amazing to see Wellington come alive for the occasion.
I’ll be completely honest, I was slightly underwhelmed by the waterfront display this year. However, I wasn’t disappointed by the giant animation projected onto Te Papa, which has become a yearly tradition and highlight of the event. I immediately recognised the distinctive colourful pop style by the artists from ‘Dreamgirls Art Collective’ (Miriama Grace-Smith, Xoë Hall and Gina Kiel) who have multiple murals across the city (and beyond). This was created in collaboration with Artificial Imagination, who brought their work to life in animation form. It was so cool seeing it at such a scale, and I really appreciated how each part interacted specifically with the different forms of Te Papa.
I was also quite impressed with this beatifully laid out exhibition by 'Apex the Artist' at Pataka Art + Museum in Porirua. I could tell a lot of thought and care went into presenting everything to complement the impressive (and creepy!) art on display. And it featured some audience participation in the end, which I'm all for! I wish more exhibitions would do this; it's so much more fun to actually engage with the art.