For day three, our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland itinerary suggests an escape from the city to discover three important art spaces marking the city-edge and historical gateway to the Waitākere Ranges or Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa a native reserve spanning approximately 25 kilometres from the charming village of Titirangi to the exquisite western coastline.

Yuka O'Shannessy is a Tokyo-born multidisciplinary creative visionary and owner of Public Record, a gallery and shop on Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s bustling Ponsonby Road dedicated to beautiful hand-crafted objects with a focus on ceramic artforms. Coinciding with their first presentation at Aotearoa Art Fair, Public Record are presenting an immersive exhibition with award-winning Japanese ceramic artist Namika Nakai and other artists at Silo 6.

Our second day itinerary for Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland encompasses the wider community of Karangahape Road, host to at least 30 art galleries. For many years Karangahape Road, referred to colloquially as K Rd, was the only street in the city with a Māori name, however much more than the name reflects the systemic inequality of colonialism and its enduring effects.

Mary-Louise Browne is a long-standing contributor to Aotearoa New Zealand’s art world, respected both as a practising artist, and the founding director of Artspace Aotearoa, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s foremost contemporary art space. Today she is best known for her role as director of Two Rooms, a leading art gallery representing several of the country’s most celebrated artists.

To launch Art Guides World, we have designed gallery-heavy art guides to Tāmaki Makaurau which can be utilised any time of the year – although we do suggest checking gallery websites as galleries can close between exhibitions. While Art Fairs stimulate activity and bring into sharp focus the market reality most artists and galleries rely on, it's the galleries and art spaces themselves provide spaces for the community to grow and prosper.

Steven Junil Park 박준일 is a Korean-born and Ōtautahi Christchurch-based multidisciplinary artist who works under the label ‘6x4’. During the Aotearoa Art Fair 2025, Park has contributed to multiple sites throughout Tāmaki Makaurau. Art Guides World are honoured to speak to Park, a creative with a diverse range of collaborators and a hands-on approach, about what fills his cup throughout Ōtautahi.

Aotearoa Art Fair activates the diverse landscape of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, expecting over 10,000 visitors to the waterfront Viaduct Events Centre in 2025 who will spill over into art spaces throughout the city. Galleries at the fair include those from across Aotearoa as well as from Rarotonga and Gadigal Country Sydney. The fair opens from Thursday, 1 – Sunday, 4 May 2025 with an impressive programme both on and off-site. 

Zürich Art Weekend comprises the coordination of over 65 participating venues, including internationally renowned museums, galleries, and public collections. The city-wide event happens ahead of Art Basel from Friday, 13 June – Sunday, 15 June 2025 with many a prost! as glasses clink over the tiled rooftops, amongst the clocks and spires.

Art Basel is the most revered of all international art fairs. At Art Basel and throughout the city you’ll see museum-worthy artworks on the market, monumental installations, and awe-inspiring architecture. Those with First Choice VIP passes can enter from Monday, 16 June with access to the Unlimited section of the fair, however officially the fair runs from Thursday, 19 – Sunday, 22 June 2025.