Overview
The Auckland Art Gallery extends its opening hours this weekend for a special weekend of Lantern Festival Late Nights. From Friday till Sunday you'll be able to meander through lantern-filled Albert Park and into the gallery until 10pm.
In honour of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, the gallery is hosting a line up of Chinese-themed events including music, dance, talks and a kite-making workshop with international kite artist, Mr Guo Hongli.
Take a break from the crowds and check out 'Up The Punk', John Lake’s photographic exploration of the Chinese punk scene in Beijing. On Saturday you can learn how to make the perfect flying kite and see performances that combine art and music from the all-female Butterfly Troupe and dancer Sean Curham. Sunday's programme features the Shanghai Jiangzhou Drum Troupe demonstrating their 5,000 year old tradition, a performance from the GALS choir and a discussion on the School of Radiant Living.
At the other end of the park you'll find the George Fraser Gallery and their new show, Be the Light of my Lantern, which celebrates the diversity of our city. The exhibition features twenty emerging artists from Elam School of Fine Arts. The works include a range of contemporary art forms which the artists have used as a way of exploring their social and cultural backgrounds. The gallery will be open from 5.00-10.30pm, Thursday through Sunday.