Bergman Gallery is an international commercial art gallery with an original gallery in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

, and a second gallery in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Bergman Gallery represents and has represented many significant international artists from New Zealand, Cook Islands and Australia, including

Fatu Feu'u Fatu Akelei Feu'u (born 1946) is a noted Samoan painter from the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa. He has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand. Biography Feu'u emigrated to N ...

Luise Fong Luise Fong (born 1964) is a Malaysian-born New Zealand artist, known for her feminine organic abstract shapes in contrast to the hard-edge abstraction often associated with her male predecessors. Fong was born in Sandakan, Malaysia, and moved t ...

, Andy Leleisi'uao, Reuben Paterson,

Michel Tuffery Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery (born 27 May 1966) is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around ...

Billy Apple Billy Apple (born Barrie Bates; 31 December 19356 September 2021) was a New Zealand artist whose work is associated with the London, Auckland and New York schools of pop art in the 1960s and NY's Conceptual Art movement in the 1970s. He worke ...

, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Sylvia Marsters, Benjamin Work, Lucas Grogan, Luke Thurgate and Telly Tuita.

History

Founded by artist and educator Joan Gragg in 2001, Bergman Gallery was previously known as BCA Gallery (Beachcomber Contemporary Art), in Rarotonga, Cook Islands between 2001-2015, and during 2016 it was transformed into Bergman Gallery under director Ben Bergman. After participated in the past five Auckland Art Fairs, Bergman Gallery director felt there was a niche in the market for Contemporary Pacific art and decided to open a second gallery in Auckland, New Zealand in 2022. Bergman Gallery in Auckland, New Zealand is situated on

Karangahape Road Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) is one of the main streets in the Auckland CBD, central business district (CBD) of Auckland, New Zealand. The massive expansion of motorways through the nearby inner city area – and subsequent flig ...

, and was officially opened by Caren Rangi ONZM, Chair of Arts Council of New Zealand at the time. There was also a delegation from the Cook Islands attended the official opening with the Minister of Cultural Development, George Maggie Angene, Cultural Development Secretary, Anthony Turua and Cook Islands Consular Officer, Keu Mataroa.

Present

Bergman Gallery represents both emerging and established artists, and has since expanded to show New Zealand Asian art and art by LGBTI+ artists from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and New Zealand. Through their constant and varied exhibitions in both Rarotonga, Cook Islands and Auckland, New Zealand, Bergman Gallery also provides a forum for contemporary art on both the local and international scene and regularly participates in Auckland Art Fair (now Aotearoa Art Fair), as well as VOLTA New York, Tokyo International Art Fair, and European Cultural Centre Italy, ''Personal Structures'', coinciding

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. Bergman Gallery's recent exhibitions included works by notable artists:

, Reuben Paterson,

Tungane Broadbent Tungane Broadbent (born 1940, Mangaia, Cook Islands) is a Cook Islands artist, notable for her tivaevae/tivaivai, with her career making tivaivai spanning five decades. Broadbent founded the O’oa Fabric & Fibre Arts group in 2007, Rarotonga, to ...

, and Shannon Novak.

Represented artists

* Louie Bretaña *

* Ian George * Joan Gragg * Lucas Grogan * Nina Oberg Humphries *Alison Leauanae * Andy Leleisi'uao * Rhea Maheshwari * Sylvia Marsters * Tanja McMillan (Misery) * Reuben Paterson * Raymond Sagapolutele * Mahiriki Tangaroa * Luke Thurgate * Telly Tuita * Benjamin Work

References

External links

Official website
{{Karangahape Art museums and galleries in Auckland Arts in the Cook Islands Avarua Tourist attractions in Auckland Auckland CBD Buildings and structures in the Cook Islands New Zealand art dealers Art galleries in New Zealand Art museums and galleries in New Zealand Karangahape