Being Chinese in Aotearoa: A Photographic Journey

Being Chinese in Aotearoa: A Photographic Journey

Curated by Phoebe H. Li & John B. Turner

New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pukenga Whakaata
Customhouse Quay opposite Johnston St, Wellington Waterfront

21 November 2019 - 16 February 2020

Wong Gar Sui’s family greengrocery in Ponsonby, Auckland, circa 1922. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington: 1/2-037502-G

Explore the rich and varied stories of Chinese New Zealanders in Being Chinese in Aotearoa: A photographic journey. Celebrating 175 years of Chinese life in New Zealand, the exhibition will open in November and continue until the 2020 Chinese New Year Festival.

With close to 100 compelling and rarely seen photographs, you can follow the story from the first settler Appo Hocton who arrived in 1842 to new migrants in the 2000s, from pioneering goldminers and merchants to architects and entrepreneurs, from early settlers to established communities.

The exhibition also features new artwork by Wellington-based artist Kerry Ann Lee created in response to the exhibition and a series of public events and activities developed in collaboration with the Wellington Chinese Community.

Being Chinese in Aotearoa: A photographic journey was created by Auckland Museum.