A black banner with a photo on the right-hand side of a close up on a woman's face with her eye closed.

Opening February – Slow Burn: Women and PhotographyAhi Tāmau: Māreikura Whakaahua

Ka hora atu a Ahi Tāmau i te kanorau o ngā toi whakaahua a ngā wāhine me ngā ira tāhurua-kore i Aotearoa nō ngā tau 1960 tae noa ake ki tēnei rā.

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Slow Burn showcases the diversity of photography by women and non-binary artists in Aotearoa New Zealand from the 1960s to today.

When | Āhea

27 Feb 2026

Where | Ki hea

Toi Art, Level 4

Cost | Te utu

Free with museum entry

Allow | ME WHAKARITE

1 hour

Accessibility | E wātea ana ki

wheelchair accessible
there is a shallow slope entering the gallery
seating available throughout the gallery
accessible wharepaku | toilet – all gender
audio playing of several artists speaking
one artwork, Parnell Rose Garden, has a braille and audio component

This major survey exhibition from Te Papa’s collections sparks a conversation between past and present – exploring themes of identity, whānau, place, and connections across time. The exhibition also asks: what influence did the first and second wave of feminism have on photographers today?

Running through Slow Burn is the idea that creating takes time. Photography is slow and thoughtful work made with care.

These artworks acknowledge the spirit of sharing and cooperation that allowed their creation – whether with others, the land, or photographic processes of the past.

These works are memorials or aspirations. They are big, small, loud, angry, beautiful, contemplative, reflective, uncertain, bewildering. They are as diverse as the people who made them.

Exhibition contains nudity.

Ngā kaupapa motuhake | Events

A woman wearing a silk gown with puffy sleeves stands with arms outstretched in front of a background of purple flowers. Flames engulf her head and arms while she smiles serenely with eyes closed.

Slow Burn – Photography symposium

A day of collegial conversation about contemporary photography in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a special focus on the work of women and photography.

Ngā toronga ako | Education visits

A black and white photo of two older woman smiling at the camera. One is standing by another sitting down.

Wāhine Toi

Take a journey through our new Toi Art galleries with a special focus on the many women artists and photographers on show.

Toroa ngā wharetoi o Ahi TāmauExplore the galleries of Slow Burn

Rere Ao
Ko ngā whakaahua o tēnei wharetoi ka rere ao ki ngā huarahi maha o te whakaari. E hora atu nei ko ngā wāhi e noho nei tātou hei houkura, hei taurikura.
Mō te nuinga o ēnei ringa whakaahua, ko te hanga atanga he tukanga o te whakakōrero tinana, me te hononga tangata.
He kiri tahanga kei tēnei wharetoi
Joyriders
The photography in this gallery explores the creative possibilities of play and performance. It presents the spaces we live in as places of both belonging and solitude.
For many of these photographers, image-making is a process of bodily expression or social connection.
Gallery contains nudity
Image: Becki Moss, *Fran Robertson*, from the series ‘Stay Home Club’, 2022. Purchased 2023. Te Papa (O.051549)

Rere Pō
Ko ngā ringa whakaahua i tēnei wharetoi ka whakamihi ake i te tinana me ngā huarahi e whakapuakina ai te ira o te tangata. Mō ēnei ringatoi, ko te whakaahua he ara ki te wewete i ngā ariā me ngā kare ā-roto.
I runga i te raupī me te wairua whakamīrei, ka rere pō ēnei whakaahua ki ngā take o te panoni, o te pahiko, o te pohewa, me te pakiwaitara.
He kiri kau kei tēnei wharetoi
Night Hawks
Photographers in this gallery celebrate the body and the many ways we express gender. For them, photography offers a way to work through complex ideas and feelings.
By turns tender and defiant, these photographs explore themes of transformation, escape, fantasy, and myth.
Gallery contains nudity
Image: Christine Webster, *Black carnival #15*, 1993. Purchased 2007. Te Papa (O.030647/A-B to B-B)

Hangarau Tūpuna
Ko tā te whakaahua he tūhono atu ki te whakapapa, kia āwhinatia ai tātou ki te hono atu ki ngā apahau tūpuna.
Ko te tokomaha o ēnei ringa whakaahua ka whakamahi i ngā tukanga me ngā hangarau tūpuna. Ko ā rātou mahi he tāpui anō i ngā hītōria o te tūmataiti me te tūmatanui, mā te ruku ki te tuakiri, ki te tauwāhi me te āhuatanga māori o ētahi mea.
Ancestor Technologies
Photography can connect us to whakapapa and help us make contact with the ghosts of the past.
Many of these photographers work with old processes and technologies. Their photography seeks to reclaim personal and public histories by delving into identity, place, and the material nature of things.
Image: Stella Brennan, *Threads VI*, from the series ‘Thread Between Darkness and Light’, 2023-24. Purchased 2024. Te Papa (O.052193)

Anamata
Ko te whakaahua, he puiaki taupiri – e hahu ake ai te pōuri, te pōkaikaha, me te aroha.
Ko ngā atanga me ngā puka whakaahua i tēnei wharetoi, he mea waihanga e te ringarapa, ringarehe kapo whakaahua hoki. E arotahitia ana ko te tara ā-whare me te ao o te whānau, hei tūhura i te whānui me te matatini o ā tātou ao mahamaha.
The Near Future
Photography can be startlingly intimate – illuminating experiences of yearning, loss, and love.
Photographs and albums in this gallery are made by both amateur and professional photographers. Focusing on domestic and family life, they reveal how vast and complex our emotional worlds are.
Image: Sara McIntyre, *Erihi's memorial wall*, 2016. Purchased 2020. Te Papa (O.048940)

Ans Westra, photographer (1936–2023)
New Zealand photographer Ans Westra passed away on 26 February 2023 at age 86. Here curator of photography Athol McCredie reflects on some aspects of Westra’s work.
Ruby’s Room – Tales from Te Papa
Curator Photography Athol McCredie gives us an insight into a very different view of childhood by photographer, Anne Noble.
Slow Burn: Women and Photography | Ahi Tāmau: Mareikura Whakaahua – Exhibition Catalogue
Slow Burn Ahi Tāmau showcases the diverse range of photography by women and non-binary artists from Aotearoa New Zealand, spanning the 1960s to today.
Watch: Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss at the ‘Ahu: Ngā Wairua o Hina wānanga
Watch Niuean hiapo artist Cora-Allan Lafaiki Twiss talk about her work as a hiapo maker and artist.
Watch: Natalie Robertson, Ngāti Porou photographer
Natalie Robertson describes the photographs in her series, ‘Tātara e maru ana – The sacred rain cape of Waiapu’ as visual documentation, but they’re also poetic and lyrical.
Watch: Lisa Reihana: Wog Features
In in Pursuit of Venus [infected], Lisa Reihana uses costume carefully to construct the encounters between European and Pacific cultures. She has been exploring how costume creates character throughout her artistic career. One of the earliest examples is Wog Features (1990). Watch an excerpt here.
Through Shaded Glass: Women and photography in Aotearoa New Zealand 1860–1960
Shining the light on New Zealand’s women photographers.