Welcome to Festival Zone for April 2024.

 Believe [whakapono] Programme Announced

Today we announce the 2024's Auckland Festival of Photography’s full programme. Outdoor, online and in-venue exhibitions that explore the theme of Believe [whakapono] are at the heart of this year’s festival, which runs 30 May-14 June. Explore the 2024 Festival programme online.

Why Believe?

“We’ve all seen photographs that have made us ask ‘is that real?’” says AFP Founder Julia Durkin, MNZM. “Over time we have developed greater scepticism of the medium as a ‘window to the truth’. 

We only need to review the global interest in the British Royal Family’s ‘edited’ family portrait, or closer to home, Brian Brake’s famous constructed ‘documentary’ image of the ‘Monsoon Girl’ to know that photography has never been an objective purveyor of reality. So as well, with the growth of AI as a tool in the ‘artist’s studio’, the question has become: how does photography maintain its role and credibility in reflecting society’s philosophical, ideological, religious or political beliefs?

“The often seamless images of artificial intelligence can make us assume what we see is real, or start to question the reliability of any image. All this, in an environment of social media disinformation or ‘fake news’, makes us question who or what we are to believe.”

As part of the Believe theme of this year’s Festival and alongside the exhibitions previewed earlier this year, we are honoured to announce:

NASA James Webb Telescope - Deep Space

This outdoor exhibition along Queens Wharf Fence features the most detailed — and extraordinary — images of distant spiral galaxies. If seeing is believing, then NASA’s imagery from the James Webb telescope speaks viscerally to what we feel when contemplating deep space and humanity’s existence in the vast expanse of the galaxies. Using infrared technology, Webb’s NIR-Cam (Near-Infrared Camera) has captured millions of images and transmitted them about 1.5 million kilometres back to Earth. What else do we believe is out there? This selection of images is being presented exclusively by the Auckland Festival of Photography here in NZ, down on earth, as part of the ‘Believe’ theme. Queens Wharf exhibition is Thanks to Eke Panuku Development.

Further along the waterfront a satellite offering of the 'Believe' [whakapono] suite of activities, with extra NASA James Webb Telescope deep space images displayed on outdoor lightboxes, situated at Karanga Plaza, 171 Halsey Street, from 24 May to 14 June. 24/7. Thanks to support by Auckland Council City Centre Activation and city centre targeted rate.

Image above - Take in this magical view of the heart of our home galaxy. Seen by Webb in unprecedented detail, Sagittarius C is a star-forming region about 300 light-years away from the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s center. In this image, a cluster of baby stars glows through the cocoon of a dusty cloud. At the heart of the cluster is a still-forming star over 30 times the mass of our Sun. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Samuel Crowe (UVA).

The Lonka Project

Lonka Project portrait of Ed Mosberg by Moshe Milner

After Holocaust survivor Dr Eleonora ‘Lonka’ Nass died, her daughter and son-in-law launched The Lonka Project to document survivors’ stories — with more than 300 photographers from 35 countries contributing portraits. The ‘memory keeping project’ is intended for future generations who will never get to meet or know a Holocaust survivor, and as an affirmation of survivors who went on to live productive lives. On view at Silo Park Gantry, First Floor and presented in partnership with Sydney's Head On Photo Festival.

Attending this year is Moshe Rosenzveig, OAM — the Founder and Director of Head On Photo Festival — who will attend events (thanks to a generous donation) linked to the exhibition towards end May, including the exhibition blessing, opening at 4pm on May 29. Full 2024 Festival programme announced here. More announcements to come in May.

NZ Herald Photojournalists

Mike Scott: Aerial portrait of Matthew Bannister from the Front Lawn - NZ Herald

This third annual exhibition by New Zealand Herald photographers— including works from the wider New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) assignments — who are always tasked with obtaining an image that reflects and illustrates the 'truth' of a story. Yet, despite their expertise and commitment, the images they capture are increasingly questioned and scrutinised.

In venue at Silo 6 this exclusive exhibition for AFP 2024 invites the viewer to 'believe' in the real images.‘ The exhibition Includes work for the Northern Advocate, Hawkes Bay Today, Bay of Plenty Times and Whanganui Chronicle.

Thanks to NZME and Eke Panuku Development.

Kōwhai Residency - Call 2024

Outdoor visual arts event, Meijijingu Gaien, Aoyama, Sept 2023

The Kōwhai Residency is for New Zealand photographic/visual imaging artists who are keen to take a step internationally and have professional development time in Japan. This is an exclusive photography-based residency in one the world's best cities and is a unique cultural innovation for NZ/Japan photographic ties.

Auckland Festival of Photography and our project partner in Tokyo, T3 International Photo Festival, are at the invitation stage of our new Kōwhai Residency for 2024. The inaugural residency for applications from New Zealand based practitioners and artists started in June 2023 when the research residency was awarded to Hannah Rose Arnold, who researched alternative processes. The second residency for creating new work and exhibition in Tokyo went to Jenna Eriksen.

Research residency call is open now and closes 9th May. Assessment will take place from mid-May, and we will announce the new Kōwhai Residency recipients in June 2024 during the Festival. 

Thanks to the generous founding support of Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhon 2022-2023, and our support programme in Japan: Tokyo Institute of Photography. Terms and conditions apply, click here for information on how to apply. 

We're Hiring!

Curator / Exhibition/Artist support role

The Auckland Festival of Photography Trust is seeking applications for a new, part time, contract or service provider role within our team. The fixed term role will take place from May to October 2024. This role includes curation, support for the artists, photographers, stakeholders and exhibition co-ordination support.

This is a rare opportunity to join New Zealand’s leading photography festival team and influence the trends, projects and works presented to the public by the Trust during the Festival. Application deadline 19th April 5pm.

Auckland based, must be eligible to work in New Zealand. How to apply and Role Description 2024

Thanks to Creative Communities - Festival Fund at Auckland Council