Beyond Boundaries
​ Chris Cunningham | Helen Manning | Angela Tier
​
13 NOV 2025 - 24 JAN 2026 

Three local Whanganui women artists, a painter, an installation artist and ceramicist have come together to present you with an exhibition that delves into relationships, seabirds and environmental tensions. 
In the floor installation inspired by the material vocabulary of Eva Hesse and with a nod to her work Repetition III, Helen Manning has created Secondary. Using a 50-year-old domestic sewing machine, she has pushed it to its limits, building a thread mesh that holds both tension and collapse. This delicate balance also draws us to think about the relationship we have with our natural world. This slow, repetitive process becomes a way of drawing in space, creating individual circles of thread which connect to each other in a hit or miss way. Humankind can be viewed as weaving and threading our way through life, creating chaos, patterns, marks and trails. Manning works with feminine tools, unseen work, soft materials, giving form to quiet tactile labour. This is a practice of holding space — for vulnerability, for impermanence, for the peripheral. The temporary life of these sculptures will be reflected in the shifting, collapsing nature of the material over the duration of this exhibition.

Chris Cunningham’s figurative paintings speak to us gently, through the mind of seabirds. A wishbone for hope or a moon for harmony, she describes her paintings as ‘a collection of seabirds which celebrates their majesty, their place in our southern seas and their connection to the skies.’ Her gold frames symbolize the preciousness of the moment. A gift of nature.  She has captured the birds’ soaring freedom and emotional bonds, through their loyalty and wonderment. Seabirds are deeply entwined with the elements, their flight and cries are responsive to the wind and ocean. Sometimes this is a challenge, sometimes a harmonious dance. Her paintings remind us that seabirds symbolize freedom and grace, aspiration and the power to overcome. Simply awesome birds.

Angela Tier’s ceramics talk to us about our relationships through anthropomorphic seabirds and she wants to highlight hope as key to the uncertainty surrounding our relationships. After seeing the David Attenborough recent documentary Ocean, she was moved by his message of hope in the face of more challenging scenes where humans have destroyed coral reefs, hunted sea animals to near extinction and the sad reality of bycatch from fishing vessels. The message of hope is the light in the darkest hour, and with the recent passing of Jane Goodall, the message is in the forefront of our minds. In Our Hands Holds the Future, two anthropomorphic birds sit across from each other; one with a single egg, a chance for life to go on and her partner bird, with hands clasped in hope. The power lies not with them, but with an understanding that we are all a part of the outcome. Our actions affect life as we know it, now and in the future.

Together, the works in Beyond Boundaries offer a thought-provoking conversation about balance, vulnerability, and the capability for renewal. We encourage reflection, on how we inhabit and impact the world, as individuals, as communities, and as part of a shared ecosystem. This exhibition reminds us of nature’s resilience and a call to nurture the fragile threads that connect us all. There is hope for a better future.

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Beyond All Things
​ David Lupton Photography

4 SEPT 2025 - 1 NOV 2025 

David is a multidisciplinary artist and photographer whose work, for many years, remained quietly behind the scenes — illustrating books, contributing to documentary projects, and collaborating across mediums with poets, musicians, and fellow artists. His practice has always been thoughtful and expansive, though often unseen.

But in July 2023, David experienced a major turning point that profoundly changed the trajectory of his life and work. From that deeply personal and vulnerable space, Beyond All Things emerged. It is his first public body of work created in the wake of a major life event. This series Beyond All Things is his first body of personal work post-surgery. Shot in black and white using layered exposures, it looks beyond the visible world—into the cosmic, the mysterious, the space between life and death.

The photographs in the exhibition share stories of pain and peace, monsters and miracles, mortality and wonder. David explains, "it's about being alive... sort of." We look forward to sharing this awe inspiring exhibition with you and we will be hosting a floor talk as well as the opportunity to do a workshop with David near the end of the exhibition. 

Link to the workshop with David Lupton at Castlecliff Beach

SLEEPWALKERS - 2 July 2025 to 30 August 2025

Sarah Bartley’s Three Realms features a cast glass talisman of a puma, snake, and vulture—radiating an otherworldly glow that conjures the mystique of an Indiana Jones adventure. Is it an ancient relic? A lost treasure? A sacred object from a forgotten ritual? It stirs the imagination, inviting questions of divine power, protection, or perhaps a lingering curse. Rich with symbolic weight, it taps into the mythology of ancient cultures and the enduring allure of the mysterious.

Bron Kelly’s photographs draw us into a space between glamour and decay, where vibrant neon signage clashes with the stark reality of derelict Taranaki buildings. The glowing words offer a seductive distraction—an almost surreal buzz that momentarily masks the inevitability of ruin. We’re invited to reflect on the tension between what the neon declares and what the crumbling structures silently reveal, deepening the conversation between appearance and meaning.
Jessie Townsend photographs feel like historical film stills, reminding us of early David Lynch films with an eeriness and intrigue, what performances happened on this strange stage, where are the actors, have they disappeared, is this place abandoned? It can’t be, someone left the lights on, is it a stage for old ghosts to haunt a theatre with their unfulfilled desires of fame and admiration? 

Tanya Blong’s painting captures light in a unique, reflective way, evoking a quiet contemplation of overcoming the fear of darkness. The girl, serene in her posture and steady in her gaze, invites a sense of connection and calm. Bathed in the soft glow of fading light, the scene speaks of peaceful recreation and tranquil introspection as day drifts gently into dusk.

Brit Bunkley’s 3D printed sheep lamp lurks above Bron Kelly’s photo like a stalking reminder. We see the relationship between the farmhouse and the animals that would have once lived a quiet life in earlier times. On second look we see the sheep head lamp has strange markings imprinted, making us question the meaning behind them.

The winter exhibition at UTOPIA Gallery consists of seven New Zealand artists working in varying mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, light-based works, and glass. Each artist has created work that demonstrates how light plays an important role in their practice and artistic expression

Garry Currin’s large, dark, and atmospheric work, Portal, is presented alongside a series of smaller Portal Studies, intimate sketches that chart the path to his final, majestic composition. His monochromatic landscapes stir a deep, almost subconscious recognition, as if we’ve wandered through them before in dreams. There’s a shared memory in these shifting tones of light and shadow—a quiet journey through the mysterious terrain of the inner world.

Che Rogers light-based works are surreal and mesmerizing, they are like hypnotic voids in which we could take a quantum leap into the unknown. Perhaps if we could transport ourselves inside these neon portals we would land in an alien world, or maybe somewhere familiar, like the fields of Taranaki where we might find Bron Kelly and her camera?
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Leave the Light on for the SLEEPWALKERS is a celebration of light—as both presence and absence, as memory and magic. It captures the fleeting quality of a dream just as it fades, yet still glowing in the darkness. The exhibition runs from Wednesday, 2 July to Saturday, 30 August 2025. We invite you to experience these works with us and join the conversation they inspire.

WINTER WINDOW EXHIBITION JUNE 2025 

Winter Window Exhibition 3 June to 21 June 2025

While our gallery is closed for the month of June, we are pleased to present a curated window exhibition to stay connected with our supporters.
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This small-scale, public-facing display features works by photographers Emma Bass and Richard Wotton, glass artist Emma Camden, ceramic artists Rosy and Rich, and Angela Tier.

BLUE - A Group Exhibition 3 APR to 31 MAY 2025 

Blue is an exhibition that brings together the work of eleven New Zealand artists, showcasing their individual interpretations of the color blue alongside the ceramics of Angela Tier. Each artist has responded to the concept of "Blue" through their own instinctive creative lens, creating diverse and thought-provoking work.

Emma Camden’s monumental cobalt blue glass staircase, bold in both color and form, evokes the fantastical interiors of Escher's drawings which also remind us of the iconic film scenes from The Labyrinth. This striking piece invites contemplation of space and perspective. Tia Ranginui’s Mauri Moe sparks a dialogue about spiritual well-being, which encourage viewers to reflect on mental health and the importance of self-care.

Tia Ranginui, Mauri Moe, Digital Photograph 2015

Kate Twomey By Lamplight Oil on Canvas 2025

Angela Tier’s Whio presents a coil pot urn, an evocative piece that stands as a poignant tribute to the threatened bird species, the Whio is gazing downward in quiet contemplation. Could he be thinking of the impact posed by habitat loss and introduced pests upon his kind? Kate Twomey, a talented young artist recently trained under the guidance of Tatyana Kulida, presents By Lamplight, a remarkable painting capturing the energy and spirit of Tier’s son, Fox. The dominant blue book on the side table draws the viewer’s attention to the quiet joy of reading, evoking the mood of dark academia, while offering a sense of escape from melancholy. Ming Ranginui’s Till the Clock strikes Five speaks to the weariness of the 9-to-5 grind—something that resonates with many creatives. The piece delicately captures the tension between the demands of daily life and the longing for creative freedom.

Ming Ranginui Till the clock strikes five Satin, wadding, beads, vinyl cord, cord lock, clock mechanism 2023

Thomas Carroll’s Pūtātara, a traditional Māori instrument, is both visually stunning and sonically moving. As it is played, the deep, oceanic sound emanates from a Triton shell, its form decorated with whale bone eyes, invoking the mysterious presence of the sea. It is an instrument with multipurpose use such as sound healing, at significant ceremonies or rituals and as an alarm for warnings or danger. Alice Fennessy’s Mermaid draws us into a surreal seascape, where flowing locks of hair dissolve into the ocean, blending human and marine forms in an ethereal dance that alludes to mythology and the natural world. Devon Smith’s charming figure, a bird-headed being offering water in a shallow dish, invites us to imagine narratives, what ceremony is being performed here or what ritual could this signify?

Thomas Carroll Pūtātara; Alice Fennessy Mermaid; Devon Smith Offering.

Angela Tier Albatross Hungry Blues Stoneware 2022

Angela Tier’s Hungry Blues addresses the contamination of the oceans through microplastics. The hybrid human-albatross figure invites reflection on the environmental impact of human consumption, urging us to consider the profound effects on ocean health and its creatures. Tucked around the corner in a shrine like display is a collection of Rosy and Rich ceramics, including tumblers, bowls, and a vase, all adorned with creatures and birds that are playful and enchanting.

Jason Fastier The Boatshed Abyss Oil on Canvas

Jason Fastier’s The Boatshed Abyss transforms a familiar Wellington scene at Jervois Quay into a surreal landscape, where nature asserts its dominance with the presence of a giant snail slithering up the side of the building in the soft light of dawn. Nearby, Tier’s black clay Petrels—one as an urn, the other as a sacrifice—spark a conversation about the tragic loss of seabirds due to bycatch, a silent consequence of commercial fishing practices that claim 160,000 birds each year worldwide.

7. Richard Thurston Forgotten Memories (1/3) Digital Photograph

Vivian Keenan Flotilla Oxdised Copper (foreground) Maro Recycled Copper 2025

Richard Thurston’s Forgotten Memories echoes the unpredictable moods of the sea. Inspired by the paintings of Mark Rothko, Thurston’s bold use of color and form immerses the viewer in the vastness of the seascape, evoking a powerful emotional response through the sheer scale and depth of color. Vivian Keenan’s Flotilla features a collection of copper boats, their blue oxidized hues creating a delicate balance that shifts with the slightest breeze, reminding us of the ever-changing nature of the open sea. Her wall piece Maro, crafted from recycled copper ribbon, is a tribute to the tradition of taonga and passing down beautiful adornment such as aprons from generation to generation.
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We invite you to visit the exhibition in person and encourage you to reach out for further inquiries. If our open hours do not suit, please contact us to arrange a private viewing.

Weird Science
​ 
An Exhibition of Glass
​30 JAN 2025 - 23 MAR 2025 

The up and coming glass exhibition will showcase thirteen talented glass artists from around Aotearoa as well as one Australian based New Zealand artist, who are exploring their medium under the concept of Weird Science.
​This exhibition has been timed to line up with the NZSAG glass conference happening 21 - 23 February 2025.

Step into the extraordinary with Weird Science, a new exhibition at UTOPIA Gallery, co-curated by gallery owner and artist Angela Tier and glass artist Emma Camden. This collection brings together thirteen artists who push the boundaries of glass as a medium, exploring its transformative possibilities through innovation, science, and artistry.

Glass, a material born of silica and heat, is a paradox—fragile yet enduring, transparent yet solid. It’s this duality that fuels the creative energy of the artists featured in this exhibition. Through casting, blowing, fusing, and flame-working, they manipulate molecules into mesmerizing forms, crafting objects that challenge perceptions and spark curiosity.

Emma Camden’s monumental cast glass sculptures evoke alien machinery, their geometric forms and surface manipulations inviting viewers to marvel at the techniques behind such vast, intricate creations. In contrast, Ruth Paterson’s ethereal cast glass religious icons reimagine sacred relics, their transparency and radiant light creating an otherworldly aura, as if divine power itself has been captured in glass.

Cathy Tuthill’s Trilobites resurrect ancient marine creatures, reinterpreting their fossilized forms with vibrant colour and dynamic presence—a revival of life from extinction.

 Meanwhile, Clare McGlynn delves into the eerie and provocative world of chimeras, her anthropomorphic figures blending human bodies with rabbit heads. Her work resonates with contemporary debates in science, recalling experiments that blur the line between human and animal.

Lisa Bates magnifies the microscopic world, stacking glass beads that echo the forms of cells and bacteria. This theme extends into the work of Jarred Wright, whose organic borosilicate glass sculptures explore nanotechnology and microbiology, bridging the gap between science and art.

George Agius, a storyteller through glass, presents a bold yet delicate narrative, her organic forms questioning the science behind modification and scale. Vicki Fanning takes us to the cosmic scale, with Little Cub, a flameworked glass piece inspired by galaxies colliding, reflecting on our relationship with cyberspace and modern interconnectivity.

Levi Hawken’s cast glass sculptures offer a gritty nod to urban landscapes, evoking brutalist architecture and futuristic interiors that blur the lines between the physical and imagined worlds. Similarly, Ben Young’s layered glass landscapes juxtapose concrete and metal to explore the tension between man-made structures and the natural environment, revealing a world both alluring and strange.

Environmental concerns take centre stage in Kelda Morris’s fused and embroidered glass designs, which evoke the organic beauty of petri dishes and the cycles of life. Elizabeth McClure rounds off the exhibition with her scientific approach to glass melting, creating forms that feel like reimagined lab equipment, highlighting the fragility of this resource and the role of sustainability in art.

Weird Science is an exhibition of boundless creativity and technical mastery, showcasing the diversity of glass as a medium and the ingenuity of its artists. Prepare to be intrigued, inspired, and drawn into the experimental and scientific wonder of art glass.


​Thanks to Scotty Redding for his writing contribution.

Good Bones
​ 
Richard Wotton Photography
​8 NOV 2024 - 25 JAN 2025 

Richard Wotton is based in Whanganui and has been taking photographs over a span of five decades. The exhibition features work over this time, including some very recent photographs of the Sarjeant Gallery rebuild. 

Embassy 3 Cinema facade, 34 Victoria Ave, Whanganui   2022

Embassy Theatre facade, Wanganui January 1994

Richard Wotton is a Whanganui artist who graces us with his passion for architecture, quiet spaces, nature and people. His selective eye knows what appeals and speaks to viewers through a shared relationship with these things, as well as the connections we share with one another.  

Sarjeant Gallery, foyer niche, November 2   2023 

Wotton had been photographing as an artform since the 1970s before taking on the role of staff  photographer at the Sarjeant Gallery, in 1987. Throughout most of the next three decades, he continued making personal work in his free time, although his output was somewhat diminished. Since his retirement from the Sarjeant, he has built up a large body of images, recording, documenting and sharing with the community his passion for people, plants, places, the principles of design and buildings. 

Sarjeant Gallery East Wing January 12 2024

​Good Bones is a fitting title for this exhibition; it shows us the good bones of our culture and the humanity and dedication Wotton has demonstrated by the continuous refinement of his craft over many years.  In the exhibition you will see an intimate collection from each series spanning his career. 

Tape Series #11, Whanganui   1984     

Neville Mawhinney's swimming pool, Whanganui    1984      

Photographs include his time spent traveling in Europe, images which reveal his keen eye for simple lines and colour, his magnetic pull to document interesting people, buildings and everyday simple spaces that we might overlook, but he shows us the beauty. What magic he shares with us, the viewers! ​

Coiffeur, Nérac, France  1984

Church facade, Veiano, Italy 1988

Camposanto, Pisa, Italy 1988

​Richard Wotton’s works are represented in national and private collections across Aotearoa. His contribution to the history of photography in this country is important, beautifully executed and timeless. 

Parapara landscape, SH4, near Whanganui  2009        

Post Office, Bulls 1981 (demolished 1983) 

Morgan Tompsett, Wellington 2016   From the series Marking Time
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All enquires regarding framed works in the exhibition, unframed prints and sizes are welcome. We encourage you to get in touch with Angela at UTOPIA Gallery today. 

2051: Predator Free Aotearoa
1 Aug - 26 Oct 2024

Angela Tier Pest Bombs​ Stoneware 2023

Angela Tier Elixir Flask Stoneware 2023

In New Zealand we have four species of rats. First came the Kiore with Polynesian explorers and once was widespread across Aotearoa before European settlement and is now confined to Fiordland and many offshore islands. The Norway Rat was introduced in the 18th century and is common in wet habitats, urban areas and offshore islands.
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​The Ship rat is widespread throughout New Zealand after being introduced in the North Island in 1860s and South island in the 1890s, this rat has thrived here and continues to be an ongoing problem, especially when it comes to managing our native species population and protecting them from declining numbers and extinction. Lastly, we have the common house mouse also a problem for our native species. 

Angela Tier Elixir Flask Stoneware 2023

​​On Netflix they aired a series called Unnatural Selection. If you watch Episode Three “Changing the Entire Species” you will meet a scientist from United States offering a gene edited solution to our rat problem in Aotearoa to help with our Predator Free 2050 target; a policy which was declared by Prime Minister John Key.. Gene editing rats is considered unnatural, it is untested in the environment, it seems risky, and it is likely to work by eliminating rats from our country in the short term, but how are we going to meticulously monitor and manage non GM rats coming in on ships and planes for a re-infestation? Rats may not be wanted here, but in other environments they are needed, they are important to the health of the grasslands and forests, being pollinators and a major source of food for predators. What if our GM rats escape on boats and planes and cause the beginning of the end for Rattus Rattus worldwide?  

Angela Tier Bad Science Installation Gordons Bush Okoia 2024

So how do the youth feel about traditional methods of predator control and possible future technologies? A research thesis by Lucy Dickie from the Otago University was completed in 2017 asking people aged 18 – 24 years what their views are of Predator Free 2050. The results summed up showed the following common views: “Traditional forms of control such as traps and bait stations were viewed positively, in contrast to aerial drops of poison, which was viewed negatively. Respondents seemed open to the potential use of gene drive as a predator control method. Throughout the survey, concern was expressed for the welfare of the targeted animals, which may have contributed to the support for gene drive.”
It seems likely that the youth will endorse the gene drive option in time to come if predator control efforts start to wane from the PF2050 goal. ​ As you enter the gallery space you are confronted by an installation of one hundred ceramic rats by local artist Angela Tier. The rats are curiously attracted to a rat king specimen, a widely debated phenomena with theories that argue it is naturally occurring to a cruel man made form of pest control.  This appears to be a science experiment that questions morality,  a mad radical determination to achieve the 2050 Predator Free target. What lengths will we go to reach this goal as a nation? What risks are we willing to take? Are we opening Pandora's box by releasing gene edited rats into our environment? Are we about to cause a catastrophic event with unmanageable consequences? These are the questions posed by Angela Tier with her plague of toxic yellow rats.

Sarah Urwin Specimens Stoneware 2024

 Award winning artist Sarah Urwin has created a glorious trap tower with an array of native birds, it is a lure, a temptation for pests, it entices with the promise of a feast but at the same time it could collapse onto a predator with one little movement. A precariously balanced tower that reflects the delicate balance of our eco system. Here we see the birds ban together to fight for their survival with "no.8 wire" ingenuity and desperation to save their species with a steeple of sacrifice! Sarah Describes her work as "A rambling, ramshackle structure, Specimens plays with dualities and contradictions. The black and white shades evoke the silver gelatin photography of the Victorian era, and the boxes remind us of specimen cases. But the edifice is thrown into chaos. Native species are categorized and compartmentalized, but also stacked and jumbled. The structure is massive and strong, but also precarious and threatening to fall. These dualities gesture towards the dualities of humans' relationships with our natural heritage: both a predator and a protector, both consigned to history and also holding hope for a different future."

Sarah K Matthew ​Kokako ​Digital Collage Print 2023

Sarah K Matthew Kaka Beaks ​Digital Collage Print 2023

Sarah K Matthew ​Of Gorse Digital Collage Print 2023

Sarah Matthew is inspired by the design of the Bauhaus as well as by English textile designer William Morris. Sarah has worked towards the Predator Free 2050 goal by living and working on Aotea/Great Barrier Island and Raoul Island managing pests and monitoring native species.  Sarah describes her prints as a collage, creating meaning through appropriation and a combination of found imagery, forming dialogue and expressing ideas that become coherent when viewed as a collection. ​ She uses this method of collecting imagery to create a superficial sense of familiarity and the use of commercial production to create these prints is a nod to post-modernism and our indulgence to consumerism. ​These prints highlight the impact of colonialism on our natural environment, for example using Gorse as a symbol for both this damage and regret. “From Extinction to Icon” is a collection of prints that speak about the value we place on our environment and how it can be dictated by fashions, which can have a destructive impact on our natural world. The common outlook here is that whatever we humans do, we make the biggest impact or difference with our actions. Understanding the consequences of our actions ensures that we think ahead for generations to come.

Angela Tier PF2050 Contraceptives Stoneware 2023