Squirrels in overalls, sinister masks, Kiwis in rugby jerseys, bulls' heads and mysterious women in Jimi Hendrix's songs now line the walls at Aratoi.
These all feature in King Street Artworks' 17th annual exhibition, Mauri Ora (the "life force"), displayed in Aratoi's main gallery for the first time.
The exhibition, which opened on Friday and runs until October 12, includes paintings, sketches and sculptures from the studio's 250 artists.
Keynote speaker Dame Robin White said Mauri Ora represented the love and passion the King St artists, many of whom live with mental illness and disabilities, apply to their work.
She praised them for pushing through big obstacles to creative powerful works of art.
