Do you have that end-of-the-year feeling? Everything compressing and accelerating towards a sense of an ending? I love walking through Te Papa’s art galleries on Level 5, especially at this time of the year. Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa is an escape from the everyday, from schedules and deadlines into a world where art rules.
Surrounding you are works offering you a moment in your life to arouse your curiosity or engage with great beauty. Here, there is nothing mundane, repetitive, or compulsory. You have entered a space of limitless creativity and thoughtfulness. Like-minded people wander, pause, sit, reflect, talk together. There is space to think here.
The art itself is one thing; its presentation is another. Each work is beautifully displayed. You may not give a thought to the people who work behind the scenes to make it look and feel so wonderful. And that’s just the way they like it.
These museum professionals are rarely in the spotlight and yet their expertise ensures the artworks are in the best possible condition for display. In the latest season of Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa, well over 300 photographs selected from the collection by the curators were carefully navigated through the many processes required to be displayed in peak condition for the appreciation of thousands of visitors.
We love their work! In a rare glimpse behind the scenes we captured collection managers, conservators, framers and installers as they went about their busy working day preparing for the New Zealand Photography Collected exhibition.
Come and see the stunning results!