Source: Porirua City Council
The lightboxes in Porirua’s CBD will be showcasing new works this year.
The call has gone out for curators and artists to put forward their work for the lightboxes, which provide a unique opportunity to exhibit outside the usual gallery environment. In Porirua’s Te Manawa, the three 3-metre tall lightboxes, made of steel and glass, first installed in 2022, run from Hagley St through to Ferry Place.
Artist Sherridan Kanavatoa, whose work Don’t Touch My Hair was placed in one of the lightboxes in 2023, says the opportunity for her work to be in such a public place has been special for her.
“Having the opportunity to show a body of work in my hometown has been like a love letter to home and to pursuing a creative career,” she says.
“Porirua is full of creative innovators, so I can’t wait to see whose work is installed next.”
Pātaka Director Ana Sciascia says showing off promising artists like Sherridan is why the lightboxes were so prominently placed.
“They make art accessible to everyone in their daily lives. It’s been wonderful having Sherridan’s work exhibited, she has such an exciting future.”
The deadline for proposals for 2026/27 installations close 27 March and should include:
-Your proposed exhibition concept and themes, including how the work to be exhibited will look
-Images, including 3-4 of the artworks mocked up in situ. This is important so we can understand how the artwork will look once in place
-How the art will work with the site and be relevant to the audience
-Information on involved curator(s) and artist(s), including CVs
-Any relevant images of previous work by the artist.
If you wish to discuss your proposal further, please contact the curatorial team at Pātaka.
