In March 2026, Pātaka launched a new initiative: a revolving exhibition wall devoted to displaying a taonga or artwork from the collection. Ode to an Abandoned Whaling Station (above) by Greg O’Brien will be on display from 21 May. This is a great way to share items from the collection with us all over time.
On Wednesday 27 May, 11am-12 noon, Friends are invited to a two-part talk:
- an introduction to the painting and the artist by Lead Curator Ioana Gordon-Smith; then
- Registrar Lotte Kellaway, who manages the collection, will give us behind the scenes insights into her role, the collection, the collecting policy and the intended cataloguing/digitisation project.
Greg O’Brien is a poet, painter, curator and writer who often brings a literary sensibility to painting, combining vivid colour, strong line and storytelling. His works often explore memory, history and Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, where land, sea and culture intersect. This painting of a deserted industrial site marked by both human ambition and environmental loss reflects on what remains after industry fades: traces in the landscape, memory, and the changing health of the ocean world.
For more information, see the Events page on this talk.