NZ Travel: What's the latest at Te Papa, Wellington

Robin White's latest exhibition features 50 artworks. Photo / Te Papa Tongarewa

Anytime's a good time to visit Wellington's Te Papa, but a new exhibition featuring the work of Kiwi artist Robin White is the perfect escape for creative types.

Showing everything from woodblock prints to tapa cloths, the exhibition, called Te Whanaketanga | Something is Happening Here, features 50 artworks from White's impressive 50-year career.

Robin White's screen print Mangaweka. Photo / Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Stars of the exhibit include her celebrated portraits and Aotearoa landscapes from the 1970s, artworks inspired by her time living in Kiribati, and more recent collaborations with artists from throughout the Pacific.

White's 1983 woodblock print, I am doing the washing in the bathroom. Photo / Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

For White, whose art has long been about national identity and sense of place, being Kiwi means being a part of our Pacific neighbourhood.

"New Zealand is a Pacific island," she says. "It's a reality that's gradually dawning on us. And all of us who've come from here have come over the ocean. The European mentality is the ocean is a barrier but in the Pacific, it's your pathway to the rest of the world."

It's been more than two decades since White's last major exhibition, and the current display includes artworks on loan from 22 galleries and living rooms across the country.

Robin White: Te Whanaketanga | Something is Happening Here runs until September 18 at Te Papa before opening at Auckland Art Gallery on October 29. Entry is free.
Also at Te Papa, check out Mānawatia a Matariki. The family-friendly schedule of free exhibitions and events featuring our most famous star cluster runs from June 24-July 3.

For more travel inspiration, go to newzealand.com/nz.

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