Events for
Friday 18th March
Sound of the Ocean
Music. A sensational mix of martial arts, live drumming and tai-chi, Sound of the Ocean is a spectacular international masterpiece… more info Samuel Beckett: The End
The humorously heartbreaking story of a man fending for himself after being expelled from an institution… more info Gaff Aff
Is life turning with you or are you turned by life? A hilarious high-octane mix of theatrics, music, choreography and clowning... more info The Show Must Go On
French choreographer Jerome Bel’s signature piece, The Show Must Go On, comes to New Zealand for the first time... more info Douglas Wright Dance: rapt
A special Festival commission, rapt is Douglas Wright’s 11th full-length work featuring some of New Zealand's finest international dancers... more info Who Are You?
A new dance piece directed by Neil Ieremia, Who Are You? features a company of exciting new performers - UrbanYOUTHMovement... more info Havoc in the Garden
A play about families – about the lies that parents tell, and children reveal; what holds families together and what tears them apart... more info Chinese Aura: A Special Concert
Blending traditional folk-music with contemporary compositions, this wonderful ensemble is forging new paths for Chinese music and opera... more info John Psathas: The New Zeibekiko
A major new orchestral work by internationally acclaimed NZ composer John Psathas, premiering at this year’s Festival... more info Vietnamese Water Puppets
The enchanting ancient art of Vietnamese water puppetry comes to New Zealand for the first time... more info Smoke & Mirrors
A vaudevillian tap dancer, twisted chanteuse, sublime aerialist, death defying acrobats, an ooh-ahh magician – and the odd white rabbit… more info Titeres Porno
Spontaneous, fun and very rude, Titeres Porno (Porno Puppets) is a spicy late-night show for adventurous Festival-goers… more info Paul Kelly A-Z
Aussie folk-rock legend performs 100 of his best-known, much-loved songs over four nights - in alphabetical order... more info Héctor Zamora
White Noise: A unique project in three parts by Sao Paulo-based artist Héctor Zamora… more info Jim Allen: Contact 2011
Jim Allen's seminal 1974 work Contact will be restaged, with performances each Saturday of Auckland Arts Festival… more info Alicia Frankovich / Laresa Kosloff / Ruth Proctor
Using objects, film and the printed image, Frankovich, Kosloff and Proctor explore ideas of movement and the performing body... more info Viewfinder
Viewfinder will project a survey of moving image works into Auckland’s public space 24 hours a day, seven days a week… more info Nuds
Acclaimed British artist Sarah Lucas exhibits her compelling new sculptural works... more info Look, Here
Auckland artist Finn Ferrier invites us to connect to the little acknowledged fabric of the city…. more info Daniel Crooks
Daniel Crooks develops a new work for Auckland public space exploring time and motion... more info Ngā Hau E Whā - The Four Winds
Leilani Kake's powerful new work challenges cultural taboos around nudity... more info Video Life
Ko Nakajima and Kentaro Taki offer a fascinating view of the historical and contemporary faces of Japanese video art. more info Upstream Midstream Downstream
John Malcolm and CLUI offer a sobering view of the Petroleum Industry… more info Incompatible Elements
Using video projection, soundscape and photographic imagery Incompatible Elements creates an immersive experience… more info Pūrākau
Leading artists from NZ, Cuba and Mexico exchange indigenous myths and legends through poster design… more info Nollywood
Pieter Hugo recreates the stereotypical characters from Nigeria’s Nollywood films, casually posed and stunningly photographed… more info The Heart of Everything
Fourteen artists and two distinct painting practices from Far North Queensland point to the intimate connection between people and land... more info Playing with Fire
Fifty years of Auckland Studio Potters is celebrated in three exhibitions putting clay back on the visual arts map... more info Richard Parker: Master of Craft
Richard Parker's substantial influence on the New Zealand ceramic tradition is revealed in this exemplary exhibition. more info In Conversation
Enrich your Festival experience every weekday from 12.30pm – 1.30pm in the Pacific Crystal Palace Spiegeltent, Festival Garden Aotea Square. more info Master Classes and Workshops
Master classes and workshops - some free, some with an associated cost - offer participants the chance to learn from some of the bold and visionary artists performing at Auckland Arts Festival. more info Free Festival Garden Grooves: TV3 Garden Stage
The TV3 Garden Stage hosts a free daily music programme in the Festival Garden in Aotea Square, from 5pm on weeknights and 2pm on weekends. more info Formica Formations
Enter the world of Formica Formations, an extraordinary collection of sculptured chairs created by nine world-renowned architects each challenged to design a chair for sitting, lying or playing upon. more info