Ans Westra | Hei whakamahara: {Suite} Wellington

One year after her passing, Ans Westra's influence on the New Zealand art scene is stronger than ever. Renowned for her six-decade career as an iconic photographer, Westra amassed the most comprehensive visual documentation of life in Aotearoa. 

For the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, {Suite} Gallery will showcase 35 new prints of black and white images from the early 1960s to the 1980s. Among the new photos are scenes from events at Ngāruawāhia, the Lorneville saleyards, a homework class in Ōrākei and the Rātana Church at Te Kao.    

Ans is remembered as a pioneer and one of the first women to work in documentary photography in this country. Tributes and homages to the artist’s life and legacy have included international coverage in the New York Times and the Guardian, and several remembrance exhibitions across Aotearoa.

This exhibition coincides with the anniversary of Westra’s death (26 February) as a celebration of her significant impact on New Zealand photography and history.