Te Ahikāroa invites viewers on a journey through the collection of Dunedin Public Art Gallery, shaped by artworks and stories that have been gathered together since the collection was first exhibited in 1884. This exhibition celebrates art and artists, the many paths that have brought their work to Ōtepoti Dunedin, and the possibilities that emerge when art, ideas and people come together.

Ahikāroa describes the continuous occupation of land through whakapapa, acknowledging the home fires which marked settlements and those who have maintained these connections across generations. In this opening space of Te Ahikāroa, photography, sculpture, poetry and waiata acknowledge mana whenua. In the adjacent galleries, artworks spanning centuries, cultures and vast geographies reveal the breadth of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection and the stories that gather here.

Te Ahikāroa celebrates Aotearoa New Zealand’s first public art collection, and its place and identity in Ōtepoti Dunedin. This is a collection and institution grounded by a belief in art to connect people and ideas, and open minds to different ways of thinking. The exhibition reflects the journey of the institution, using works from the collection to tell stories of arrivals and departures, new foundations and relationships, and the possibilities that exist just beyond the horizon.

Artists represented include Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe), Robin White (Ngāti Awa), Ralph Hōtere (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), Ayesha Green (Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga), Neil Pardington (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Pākehā), Mataaho Collective, Kushana Bush, Kate Fitzharris and Ani O’Neill, alongside historical works by artists including Thomas Gainsborough and John Hoppner.