Behind Background Matters: Curating portraiture in relation to place

To celebrate the opening of Background Matters: Portraiture and Place in Aotearoa at Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House, join Curator, Maddie Brooks Gillespie to gain insight into the creation of the exhibition, crafted during her tenure as the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata Liz Stringer Curatorial Intern. Come and be immersed in the many stories of the visions of Aotearoa and its people offered by the exhibition, as Maddie guides you through the background of Background Matters: Portraiture and Place in Aotearoa. She will be joined by Jaenine Parkinson, Director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery, who will shed light on the impact of the Liz Stringer Curatorial Internship in fostering the careers of young curators, and the wider work of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery and its prizes.

This exhibition is curated by Maddie Brooks Gillespie. Bringing it to Christchurch is a collaborative partnership between the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

Photo credit: Robert Cross

Maddie Brooks Gillespie (she/her) is an emerging curator and academic based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. She is a recent graduate of the Tāhuhu Kōrero Toi Art History programme at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Her practice centres primarily around the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Humanities, alongside explorations of memory, history, place and performance in art.

Jaenine Parkinson (she/her) became Director of the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata in late 2017. Previously, she served as Arts, Museums, and Heritage Advisor at Kāpiti Coast District Council and Exhibitions Project Coordinator at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. In 2017, she represented New Zealand as an attendant at the Venice Biennale. Jaenine has also been Programmes Manager at an arts and culture centre in Ottawa, Canada, and Director of Blue Oyster Art Project Space in Dunedin. She holds a Master's in Art History from the Waipapa Tamata Rua University of Auckland and has completed various independent curatorial and writing projects.

Tickets: FREE

Book your free ticket. Door sales may be available if not sold out prior. Doors open 15 mins prior.

No Parking on site. Accessible permit holders should phone prior to day of event to book a park. Parking available in the Arts Road Pay & Display Carpark (entrance at University Drive) two minutes walk away. FREE ON WEEKENDS.

Road Works: Clyde Road is only open in a northbound direction from Riccarton Road towards Creyke Road. Plan your trip accordingly.