Hear international curator and our third Creative New Zealand Te Manu Ka Tau international guest Hamza Walker wrap up the Artspace Aotearoa 2026 programme “which history?” with their lecture Monuments.
Hamza will place the range of programming and collections held at Toi o Tāmaki into a wider context through the lens of the exhibition Monuments held at The Brick, Los Angeles earlier this year. This exhibition featured a selection of decommissioned monuments alongside works of contemporary art that address American history and national identity. Eight years in the making, this exhibition marked the last several years of monument removals as an historic occasion. In presenting the monuments in dialogue with contemporary artworks, the exhibition aimed to build understanding of a history, while considering the ramifications in today’s world.
This kaupapa is presented with Creative New Zealand Toi o Aotearoa and in association with Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Art Gallery.
What to expect:
- This event is free.
- The location is accessible.
- This event will be seated and microphones will be used.
Biography:
Hamza Walker has served as director of The Brick, formerly known as LAXART, a non-profit alternative art space in Los Angeles, since 2016. Prior to The Brick, Walker served as Associate Curator/Director of Education at The Renaissance Society.
Recent exhibitions include Gregg Bordowitz: This is Not a Love Song; Nikita G Kandis Williams/Cassandra Press’ The Absolute Right to Exclude; and Postcommodity’s Some Reach While Others Clap. In 2026 Walker was the recipient of the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence and The Brick was named a Museum and Institution Medalist in the 2026 Art Basel Awards.