Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces. The term can include traditional graffiti art work, as well as, stencil graffiti, sticker art, wheatpasting and street poster art, video projection, art intervention, guerrilla art, flash mobbing and street installations (definition from Artrepublic.com). This page looks at street art in Christchurch. It is a notable feature of the urban landscape since the Canterbury earthquakes.
Current and upcoming Christchurch street art events
The Little Street Art Festival - Friday 24 November to Monday 4 December 2023
The new Little Street Art Festival includes nine Ōtautahi urban artists who have produced works across the central city, and more artists who will contribute to the programme of activations. Artworks include from tiny paintings filling cracks, painted blooms emerging from planter beds, reflective ruminations on Ōtautahi’s past, and portraits that will capture your attention in unexpected places. Artists include:
- teethlikescrewdrivers
- Ghostcat and Jacob Yikes
- Ikarus
- Meep a.k.a. Kophie
- Bloom
- Dark Ballad
- Jessie Rawcliffe
- Nathan Ingram
- Visit the Little Street Art Festival website
- Like @thelittlestreetartfestival on Instagram
- Like @thelittlestreetartfestival on Facebook
Street art in Christchurch
Christchurch has produced some stunning artists including Dcypher, Jacob Yikes, Wongi "Freak" Wilson, Ikarus, Ghostcat, and Kophie aka Meep.
Watch this Space
Watch this space is a comprehensive guide to Christchurch street art:
- Visit the Watch this space website
- Like Watch this space on Facebook
- Follow Watch this space on Instagram
- Read our interview: Watch this space: Lindsay Chan maps Christchurch street art.
Fiksate Gallery
Fiksate Studio & Gallery is New Zealand's only street art and urban contemporary gallery, and is focused on supporting and showcasing urban art.
- Like Fiksate on Facebook.
- Follow @fiksate_gallery on Instagram.
Plain Sight
Previous events
From 13 to 22 March, artists will be painting large-scale murals in Ōtautahi's CBD!
- Like Flare Ōtautahi Street Art Festival on Facebook
- Follow @flarestreetartfestival on Instagram
- Subscribe to the Mini Flare Facebook event
SHIFT: Urban Art Takeover (28 January to 11 April 2023)
SHIFT: Urban Art Takeover: With the Museum’s redevelopment not far away, most of the complex is empty and it has been handed over to urban artists from Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas to use as their canvas. They’ve created a pathway of art across five floors and over 35 spaces, including storerooms, offices and other parts of the Museum that are normally off-limits. Their artworks, which range from traditional graffiti to murals, paste-ups, projections and more, are inspired by the Museum and the taonga (treasures) it cares for.
Tickets are available on the door, but priority will be given to those who have pre-purchased tickets online if capacity is reached. The journey through SHIFT takes between an hour and a half and two hours. SHIFT: Urban Art Takeover is a paid-for experience with all proceeds going towards the Museum’s redevelopment.
The exhibition will run until 11 April, the end of Easter weekend.
FLARE Ōtautahi Street Art Festival (2 to 12 March 2022)
7 large murals popped up across the CBD as street artists from across New Zealand converged on our inner city to unleash their creativity on our major walls and spaces.
- Follow @flarestreetartfestival on Instagram
- Like @flarestreetartfestival on Facebook
- Subscribe to the FLARE Street Art Festival event
Spectrum Street Art Festival (December 2015 to April 2016)
Oi You presented the Spectrum Street Art Festival in Christchurch from 12 December 2015 until 17 April 2016. This year's festival featured a new exhibition in the YMCA on Hereford Street, with works by the eight featured street artists as well as new works by returning artists. Eight new works brightened Christchurch streets.
Read Street artists to descend on central Christchurch this week by Charlie Gates, The Press, 5 December 2015
Our Spectrum Street Art Festival photos
Spectrum Street Art Festival (February to May 2015)
See our photos from the 2015 Spectrum Street Art Festival (14 February to 10 May 2015).
OI YOU! present RISE 2014
OI YOU! present RISE 2014 had three major exhibitions. See our photos.
Christchurch street art images
Find photos of local art:
- Discovery Wall
- Canterbury Stories
- Flickr
- Christchurch Street Art interactive map of Christchurch featuring urban art
- Search for Christchurch street art on DigitalNZ
- Christchurch NZ Street art group on Flickr
