Welcome to Anya and Rachael

Over the summer we have had the pleasure of welcoming two amazing new colleagues to our DPAG team. Dr Anya Samarasinghe as the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Ihupukutaka Kairauhī Curatorial Intern for 2025, and Rachael Gaston in the role of Kaiako Toi.

Having joined us from Auckland, most recently having completed a research fellowship at Waipapa Taumata Rau / The University of Auckland, Anya has always worked alongside passionate and committed people who really enjoy culture and creation.

Now based in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Anya looks forward to being involved in the process of exhibition development alongside the DPAG team. She takes inspiration from interacting with art each day, especially the Gallery’s collection of Victorian art centred around mythical and classical subjects. Anya counts The Bouquet by John Frederick Lewis currently on display in the show Rewilding as a particular favourite.

The internship focuses on the curation of a show at DPAG, an opportunity which Anya acknowledges is rare. While currently in the process of consolidating initial ideas, we know great things are coming so watch this space!
 
Returning after a fifteen-year stint in Wellington, Ōtepoti local Rachael Gaston has taken up the Kaiako Toi role across DPAG and Lan Yuan Dunedin Chinese Garden. Rachael loves teaching art, loves making art, and thrives on the creative mindset that comes along with that. She takes great joy in seeing the spark and inspiration that children experience from creativity. Having come from teaching art in a school setting, Rachael looks forward to sharing the stories of the Gallery collection and developing hands-on art experiences for visiting akonga of all ages.

A massive fan of the work of Séraphine Pick, Rachael’s current favourite spot in the Galleries is in Rewilding. She also finds happiness and spontaneity in Déjà Vu, and comfort in the work of Ross Hemera displayed in Huikaau.

Having been awe-inspired previously by the work of Mataaho Collective, Rachael acknowledges the incredible opportunity to now develop education experiences in support of Hautāmiro, the collective’s current installation at DPAG which is led by the ancestral narratives of Tokohurunuku, Tokohururangi, Tokohurumawake and Tokohuruatea, the four winds, or the pillars of the sky.
 
DPAG is a place for everyone and we can’t wait to see what Anya and Rachael will create.


Noho ora mai
Rachel Cooper
Audience Development Manager
Dunedin Public Art Gallery