Latest National Library Exhibitions

At 45 Design Studio we love designing and curating exhibitions for the National Library of New Zealand and the Alexander Turnbull Library. It provides us the opportunity to work with amazing visual content, both historical and contemporary.

Between Skin & Shirt is an exhibition of portrait photography by William Harding, sourced from the Alexander Turnbull Library Photographic Collection. Although these photographs were mostly taken in the 1860s, the people captured immediately feel relatable. Harding managed to capture faithful and authentic portraits of real people. https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/posts/william-harding-an-unconventional-eye

Trouble in Paradise combined documentary photography and an installation by artist Sheyne Tuffery. The exhibition visually talks to the effects of climate change in the Pacific. The photographs included were winners (some as young as 8) of a competition by the UK Government documenting the current climate crisis. These photographs depict the destructive results of cyclones, rising sea levels and flooding, and reflect the determination of the Pacific people as they strive to preserve and restore the environment. This exhibition also included a collection of beautiful books on the Pacific from the Alexander Turnbull Library Rare Book Collection.

Mīharo Wonder celebrated 100 years of the Alexander Turnbull Library collections. Mīharo Wonder consisted of an eclectic and curious selection of items from the collection. These items included photographs, paintings, literature, artifacts, and much more, chosen for their ability to instill a sense of wonder.

Other National Library exhibitions we have designed and/or curated include, Bird Fancy, Islands in Time, Death & Desire, Passchendaele and Queens Wharf, Leading Edge and Unfolding the Map.

Thanks to Mark Beatty, National Library of New Zealand for the exhibition photography.