Uncategorized – Watch This Space

Jack Bromell – From Busselton to Brighton…

Perth-based artist Jack Bromell’s work is inspired by the natural world around us, elegant birds in flight, the patterns formed by flora and fauna, the sweeping curves of lizards. But these depictions go beyond record, there is a strong sense of symbolism, of mythology, of interconnection. Painted in various sizes (from huge panoramas to depictions of postage stamps) and with subtle colour palettes, Bromell’s murals transform public spaces by using nature to speak to both our surrounding environments and our shared conditions and histories. It is no surprise then that he found ample inspiration while travelling Aotearoa. Watch This Space was able to help secure a wall for Jack to produce a work here in Ōtautahi, a large Kahawai fish that exemplifies his confident, illustrative linework, presented as an almost scientific diagram in white lines on the black wall. The oversized production inviting the audience to acknowledge the beauty of our native animal life. After finishing his mural in New Brighton, we sat down for a chat to discuss his roots in Busselton, just outside of Perth, his trajectory as an artist, and New Zealand’s lack of native mammals.

Reclamation – Ruka @ The Giant Cans

The Giant Cans on St Asaph have served as a free legal space for people to create and leave their mark – whether a simple name or message, or something more adventurous and stylised. But alongside the free wall status, one of the cylinders stands as a ‘commission can’ with artists invited to produce a cohesive take over – providing inspiration and pushing new ideas. For the most recent commission, Ōtautahi artist Ruka has explored the merging of graffiti and Toi Māori, an expression of his own creative trajectory. The circular canvas has been adorned with a sprawling, interlocking map of koru and letterforms, with shifting transparencies and an evocation of the iridescence of a paua shell. We sat down with Ruka to discuss the relationship between Toi Māori and graffiti, his exploration of his Māoritanga through art and where his art might go next.

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…

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 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.

Corners of Christchurch: Documenting Where Urban Art Meets the City

Corners of Christchurch’s vibrant pictures of Ōtautahi urban art have been unmissable on Instagram – the striking saturation adding an intensity to the presence of murals, graffiti and smaller interventions across the city’s terrain and providing a gripping juxtaposition with the blue skies, textured surfaces and physical layers of space. It is clear that these images are captured with thoughtful care and an eye for the wider context of art in public spaces. That care was made even more evident in the words Corners of Christchurch provided as an introduction to their photo essay – an earnest expression of the attraction, intrigue and community built around the city’s urban art.

Offline – An Interview with Sam Emerson

“Your favourite artist’s favourite artists” – it might seem braggadocious as a tagline, but in the case of Sam Emerson of Offline Collective, it reflects the way his work amplifies other creatives – from providing the atmospheric and evocative backdrops for musicians and festival stages, to his collaborations with artists in an increasing number of public projection-based installations. Deeply immersed in his craft and constantly exploring new ideas, Emerson continues to evolve his work technically and thematically, from audio reactivity to expressions of cultural identity. His recent public works, Hurihanga, produced with Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival and The Christ Church Cathedral, and Ruruku, produced with graffiti artist Drows for Tīrama Mai 2025, have suggested new possibilities for urban art, transforming architecture with striking sound and moving image, alternately beautiful and fiery. Discussing these works and his career trajectory, our conversation with Sam Emerson was wide-ranging and revealing of art’s ability to transcend defined parameters…

Roll Call – A Survey of Ōtautahi Urban Art and Artists

Watch This Space, in partnership with Art Walls Christchurch and The Welder is excited to present Roll Call – A Survey of Ōtautahi Urban Art and Artists – a huge group show featuring more than 60 local creatives and bringing the energy of the streets to the walls of The Welder!

Ghost Stories: Ghostcat’s Ghosts on Every Corner Project and the Memories of a City

I might be a bit biased (Disclaimer: I was the author of the Ghosts on Every Corner book and have been involved in the project since it’s initial genesis), but it is hard to go past Ghosts on Every Corner as one of the most impactful art projects to emerge from Ōtautahi in 2025. Numbers generally don’t lie – tentative counts suggests more than 10,000 people visited the Pūmanawa Gallery space at the Arts Centre in the five week run that Ghostcat’s scratch-built recreations were on display, a huge figure for an independent project. Additionally, the book documenting and expanding the project, featuring striking photography by the super talented Dave Richards, has proven popular, selling more than 700 copies on pre-order before being placed on the bookshelves of retail outlets. It would be fair to say that Ghosts on Every Corner struck a chord.