With Aotearoa Art Fair and May Art Fair happening simultaneously, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is humming with art this month.
A monstrous reddish octopus—body the size of a SUV, tentacles sprawling with insouciant grandeur—has appeared on the waters of Auckland's Harbour Viaduct Marina. It's the latest iteration of Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, Lisa Reihana's 15-metre hand-painted floating sculpture, part of a sculpture trail organised to coincide with the opening of Aotearoa Art Fair (1–4 May 2025), which will feature 49 galleries corralled into the Viaduct Events Centre.
Meanwhile, May Art Fair (2–4 May) opens at 3 East Street in the same week. Initiated by gallerists Andrew Thomas (Michael Lett) and Sarah Hopkinson (Coastal Signs), the boutique fair will feature 15 galleries, including local stalwarts Sumer and Season, and international spaces Phillida Reid and Fine Arts, Sydney.
Attendance at both fairs will be a must for those with an ear to the arts. In addition to these events, here's what not to miss among the numerous presentations across the city.
May 6, 2025
