urban art – Watch This Space

Joy Auckram – E Rua ngā Kaitiaki

Ōtautahi artist Joy Auckram (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Parewhata) is the latest contributor to the Spotlight Urban Art Projections series. Their work E Rua ngā Kaitiaki, depicting two twirling, intertwining tuna, was created as part of the Tātai Whetū, Tātai Tangata Matariki festival that lit up parts of the central city in early July. Illuminated in glowing blue, the tuna serve as cosmic kaitiaki, at once personal and universal, inviting contemplation and reflection. To celebrate E Rua ngā Kaitiaki, we sat down with the artist to discuss the work’s animation by digital artist Nicholas Keyse, Auckram’s creative roots and the navigation of the pathways of ngā toi Māori and tattoo.

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…

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.

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.

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…

Dark Ballad – A Deep Cut

With a unique aesthetic and process for the world of urban art, Dark Ballad has established himself through a series of striking works across Ōtautahi, including gothic-inspired paste-ups and a woodblock tablet series for the 2023 Little Street Art Festival, as well as an ever-expanding collection of collaborations that range from prints to t-shirts. Working with figures from the worlds of fine arts and graffiti, these collaborations are always fresh, and through their ultimately one-of-a-kind woodblock printed aesthetic and finish, they are retain a key point of difference from more mass-produced clothing offerings. In addition to his technical output, Dark Ballad has also been involved in community arts initiatives, including curating the Carve surfboard art trail in New Brighton for the Duke Festival of Surfing in early 2025, a public art installation featuring over a dozen local artists. With such a wide range of activity, we thought it was well overdue we sat down with the ‘Master of the Dark Arts’ for a chat about his experiences, his philosophies and what might come next…

Yarnarchy ’25 – An Interview with Kate Finnerty

Gap Filler’s Yarnarchy is a unique part of Ōtautahi’s urban creative scene — a festival dedicated to yarn-bombing and craftivism that celebrates both the power of urban intervention and the ability of urban craft to engage a diverse audience and community of artists — turning those with a passion for craft into street artists! Founded by Gap Filler’s Play Programme Coordinator Kate Finnerty, Yarnarchy is a vibrant activation and reconsideration of the city that is now into its fourth year. Growing and evolving over the last three festivals, 2025 is now in full swing, with an array of surprising artworks installed and a special collaboration with the amazing Jolt Dance — a local organisation that empowers people through the accessibility of dance. We chatted with Kate about Yarnarchy, the roots of the event, its evolution and why it is such a powerful experience…