Curator Tour | Mark Adams Survey

Join exhibition curator Dr Sarah Farrar for a tour of Mark Adams: A Survey | He Kohinga Whakaahua. With a career spanning more than 50 years, Mark Adams has photographed Aotearoa New Zealand – its land, peoples and its complex, multilayered histories. His practice documents sites of significance across the country, including places where James Cook and his crew came ashore on their visits in 1769 and the 1770s, and locations where Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840. In this exclusive tour you’ll gain insights into his practice and the stories held within his photographs.

This Members only tour takes place outside of opening hours with a limited capacity of only 25 guests. 

*Please note: In the second room of this exhibition, one artwork contains sexual references. It also depicts human remains from Borneo.

Image credits: Mark Adams, 09.06.1986. Toot and Whistle Steam Railway. Kuirau Park. Rotorua, 1986, silver bromide prints, courtesy of the artist and Two Rooms, Auckland | Sarah Farrar, photo by David St George

Sarah Farrar is Head of Curatorial and Learning at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. In addition to leading the curatorial team, she is responsible for the Gallery’s research library and educational programmes. A curator and art historian, Farrar’s doctoral research focused on contemporary art, curatorial activism and collection exhibitions. Prior to joining Auckland Art Gallery, she was Senior Curator Art at Te Papa, where she led the curatorial development of the Ngā Toi | Arts Te Papa (2013–17) and Toi Art projects in 2018. Recent projects include Taimoana | Coastlines: Art in New Zealand (2024–27) and retrospective exhibitions of Robin White (2022–23) and Mark Adams (2025).