Watch This Space – Thoughtful reflections on the ever evolving street art, murals and graffiti scene in Christchurch, New Zealand

Shaun Devenney – If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry

From the small Scottish town of Paisley, just west of Glasgow, via Melbourne’s iconic Everfresh Studio, Shaun Devenney travelled a long way to find himself painting in Ōtautahi. Establishing a strong reputation for his thoughtful, painterly ruminations on life, a kind of acerbic social realism informed by his Scottish sense of humour and an observational world view, Devenney’s deft brushwork and compositions are undeniably unique. His work is a reminder of the diverse potential of urban painting, eschewing conventions and traditions in favour of an aesthetic that is equally informed by the studio as the streets. With the assistance of Life in Vacant Spaces, we were lucky enough to help Shaun secure a wall to leave a legacy of his trip to Ōtautahi, and in doing so, we were able to spend some time with the artist. In between painting sessions, we sat down with Shaun for a chat about his travels, his trajectory as an artist, the distinctions between the streets and the studio, and the increasingly confusing world we face…

Morks: The Busy Mind – Enter the Void @ Oxford Gallery and Two-Way Street @ The Central

Over a career spanning multiple decades and ranging from graffiti and tattooing to his increasingly prominent studio output, Morks is a singular creative force. The artist from the foothills of the Southern Alps is in the midst of a busy period – opening two shows within a fortnight: the survey-like Enter the Void at Oxford Gallery – Toi o Waimakariri, where a range of works represent his myriad influences, from folk art to skateboarding, his military service, love of nature, tattoo, graffiti and more; and Two-Way Street at The Central in central Ōtautahi, a group show centred on the mentor-mentee relationship between Morks, sculptor Luca McDonnell, and the late Philip Trusttum, ONZM, one of Aotearoa’s most accomplished painters.

Morks and Trusttum developed a fast friendship in the last years of the older artist’s life, a connection that provided Morks with invaluable knowledge and guidance. While the two shows are decidedly different, Trusttum’s influence is clear, especially in the larger works on unstretched canvas – a format that pushes Morks’ exploration of colour, dynamism and scale. In the Enter the Void, Morks’ imagination runs free, found objects are transformed and juxtaposed with painted and illustrated two-dimensional works, creating a dizzying effect where the viewer is invited to immerse themselves in whirring life. Morks’ collection of works in Two-Way Street is more focussed, but highlights his growing confidence, a sense of maturity that ensures his paintings fit perfectly alongside those of Trusttum. The day after the opening of Two-Way Street, we took the drive out to Oxford, and after an obligatory pie from the Sheffield Pie Shop, we took in Enter the Void, before sitting down with the artist to discuss what has been a busy time – fitting for someone with a self-described busy creative mind…

Charles and Janine Williams X Drows – Mā Te Huruhuru Ka Rere Te Manu

On the sunny morning of the first day of May, a vibrant new mural by Ōtautahi’s own Drows and Tāmaki Makaurau powerhouses Charles and Janine Williams was unveiled to mark World Smokefree May 2026 – the collaborative work a powerful expression of how our hauora (health and wellbeing) is shaped by the support of the communities surrounding us.

Spotlight 3.0 – with Hambone

With Daylight Savings now ended and the nights longer, it’s a perfect time to celebrate the final work of the Spotlight 3.0 series — Hambone’s tattoo-inspired, rotating menagerie of urban animals.

The Things We Love To See…

At the end of March, we were stoked to pop along to the Giant Cans Space on St Asaph Street and check out a new collaborative production going up, created by our mate Jonny Waters and his Toi Ora art therapy group from Purapura Whetu.

A Home Away From Home – Jay ‘Daken’ Skelton at Ronald McDonald House

For over 20 years, Ronald McDonald House Christchurch, located on Cashel Street, has provided a ‘home-away-from-home’ for families travelling to Ōtautahi for medical treatment. A welcoming space for whānau to find respite from hospital rooms, Ronald McDonald House provides warm hospitality in tough times, a truly vital service that removes further stress for families already dealing with so much.

CHOMP – the Paste-ups of Earwig Magazine @ CoCA, 21 February – 29 March

Entering its final few days, don’t miss out on CHOMP at CoCA, an exhibition of the paste-ups of Earwig magazine curated by Ōtautahi-based graphic designer Claudia Long.

EveryBody – A Group Exhibition @ 192 St Asaph Street, 19-29 March, 2026

Presented by Curators Chamber and Kyla K Design, EveryBody is a group show “celebrating the human form in all of its diverse expressions – strength, identity, vulnerability and desire.” Spotlighting twenty artists from diverse backgrounds, EveryBody is a sprawling collection of work that reflects a broad range of responses to the figurative thematic framework. The body is, of course, a constant but complex concept within creative practice, raising questions around identity, physicality, autonomy, representation and connection.

The Duke Festival 2026, Carve and Stoked — From Surf to Street Art

For ten years The Duke Festival has celebrated surf and skate culture through the lens of community and inclusion, as well as cultural and artistic events — most notably for us, the Stoked exhibition and Carve street art installation. Both of them feature familiar and emerging names, connecting the festival with the worlds of street art and graffiti as well as broader artistic worlds. For any event, especially one with the scale of The Duke, to thrive for a decade, it takes a lot of work behind the scenes — securing funding, bringing ideas to life, managing artists and participants, promoting and more — and on the bustling opening night, we were lucky enough to chat with two of the figures (and Watch This Space friends) who have tirelessly worked to bring The Duke’s artistic events to reality: head of the festival’s arts programming and Stoked curator Georgia Harmon, and Carve organiser Dark Ballad.

Klaudia Bartos – Cut Outs @ Absolution – March 13 – April 3, 2026

Over the last several years, Klaudia Bartos has produced a constantly evolving body of work, her twisted characters exploring a wide range of material forms and locations, from her plaster ‘clone’ heads found across the city to exhibitions of layered textile creations. For her latest show, Cut Outs at Absolution, Bartos continues to reframe her approach, exploring digital sketches and three-dimensional collage pieces. We sat down with the artist on opening night to discuss the collection, the process of putting together a show and how her work all connects.