Take time out to step into imaginary world

Phantom City curator Karl Chitham with the artwork, called Superman, by Peter Gibson Smith. Photo / Stephen Parker

Step in to an imaginary cityscape filled with the stuff humans have created in the world of Rotorua Museum of Art and History's new exhibition Phantom City.

Phantom City curator Karl Chitham has brought together a selection of contemporary artworks that offer their own unique urban visions of the past and future.

Mr Chitham said people should imagine an abandoned, sprawling cityscape filled with the stuff humans had created, used and discarded over the centuries.

"What would you find while sifting through the overwhelming weight of human history?

"What curious, haunting or unexpected remnants of the city's population would you discover? This is the Phantom City."

Each artwork reflects an alternate path humanity may have taken or is still to take. It explores fantastic cities that merge nature and construction in surprisingly beautiful ways.

Phantom City features works by Gregory Bennett, Deborah Crowe, Judy Darragh, Anthony Goicolea, Gregor Kregar, Shannon Novak, Peter Gibson Smith, Richard Stratton and Yang Yongliang.

The exhibition is on at Rotorua Museum until September 7. Entry is included with museum admission and is free for Rotorua residents.