Ardern and Goff praise Auckland Festival of Photgraphy

In a message to launch the Auckland Festival of Photography, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern praises organisers for going to huge lengths to ensure 2020’s festival was accessible to audiences, describing it as “a really significant feat”.

By making content available online and on air at Freeview Channel 200, Ms Ardern said AFP was “a virtual showcase of outstanding international and national photography that all New Zealanders can engage in and interact with.”

Digital and online platforms increased access to our arts and artists, the PM said. “When combined with a bit of Kiwi innovation and ingenuity, new audiences are able to experience great festivals such as this, no matter where they live.” Ms Ardern was pleased that government support, through Creative New Zealand, had helped AFP exhibit some content online, including in Te Reo Maori.

Photography offered an immediate way of viewing and connecting with the diverse lives and visions of others, the PM said. “By simply picking up their camera to take a photo of the world around them to share with others, photographers have helped us keep connected and motivated to look ahead.”

In his message of support, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff congratulated AFP for its innovation in a Covid-19 environment so that audiences could enjoy photography on Freeview Channel 200 and photographyfestival.org.nz

As well as work showing on digital screens on Aotea Square, the mayor encouraged Aucklanders to take their images of Auckland on June 6, Nikon Auckland Photo Day – and exhorted Aucklanders to make the best of a great festival.

‘It’s a chance where we can see the work of great photographers, we can hear the panel discussions and the talks around photography, it’s going to be really informative.”

Auckland Festival of Photography (May 27-June 15) on air and online

Freeview TV Channel 200 from May 27 to June 14
Sixteen hours of programming is being broadcast, screening in hour-long one-off TV episodes at 8pm Monday to Saturday, at 11am on Sundays (repeated at 3pm the next day).

Nikon Auckland Photo Day, Saturday 6 June https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr68HG61giI&app=desktop

Featuring work by more than 150 New Zealand photographers
New work by Qiane Matata-Sipu, Saynab Muse and Raymond Sagapolutele features in AFP’s 10th Annual Commission. NZ-based photographers feature exclusively on AFP’s You Tube channel with a brand-new series for national audiences, Postcards From New Zealand, going live on 28 May.

International photographers’ work on show
Werner Bischof’s USA series is displayed on Quay Street’s Queens Wharf fence.

After Queens Birthday, digital screens in Aotea Square will feature works by Jeanne Taris (France), Cali Kurlan (USA), Ilya Ivankin (Russia) and Australian-based Kerry Pryor, Helga Salwe, Ilana Rose, Nicola Dracoulis and Shoufay Derz. Judith Crispin’s Unseen – The Dingo’s Noctuary is on display at Freyberg Place Lightboxes from May 27.

Public programme and prizes

As well as the ‘Talking Culture by Leica’ public programme, prizes on offer include the Alex Mao Youth Photography award and AFP’s cash award, open to all presenting exhibition artists.

City Rail Link partners with AFP to share exhibition outdoors
Photographs taken for Auckland Photo Day in the last decade by Aucklanders will feature prominently at several City Rail Link station sites from June 2020. The project is a partnership between New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project and the Auckland Festival of Photography. The displayed images will be curated from the festival’s archive of 14000 photographs entered in its Nikon Auckland Photo Day competition held each June.

More information at cityraillink.co.nz, photographyfestival.org.nz

More AFP information
To download our Festival 2020 app, visit photographyfestival.org.nz

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