Slow Burn – Photography symposium

To celebrate the upcoming photography exhibition Slow Burn | Ahi Tāmau, opening in 2026, we're hosting a day of collegial conversation about contemporary photography in Aotearoa. Slow Burn highlights the contribution of women and non-binary photographers, drawing on over a decade of research and collecting.

Held on opening day, this symposium begins with a special opportunity to view the exhibition before the museum opens to the public, followed by a keynote presentation from Natalie Robertson, a leading photographer, moving-image artist, and Associate Professor at Auckland University of Technology. Her practice centres her ancestral river, Waiapu, exploring how “lens-based practice can contribute to iwi-based aspirations for environmental reinvigoration”.

Across a series of discussions with Aotearoa photographers, we will explore key threads in contemporary practice – including collaboration, process, and evolving photographic culture – offering insights into the ideas and relationships that shape photography today. We'll close the day in the galleries, with a performance of photographer Ann Shelton’s work, The physical garden.

Open to photographers, curators, researchers, students, and anyone with an interest in photography, this event invites participants to connect, reflect, and share.

Tickets $60 (waged) / $40 (unwaged) with lunch included.

Assisted listening

An assisted listening system is available for this event. This allows you to stream the audio from the event directly to your hearing aid or smartphone headphones using the free WaveCAST app. Find information on the Te Papa assisted listening system, including how to set this up ahead of your visit. Feel free to email us at publicprogrammes@tepapa.govt.nz if you need assistance. 

Tia Ranginui, The tangi of Rūaumoko, 2023. Purchased 2024. Te Papa (O.052215)