Image: New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata will present ‘Terry Stringer & Lois White: A Portrait’, an exhibition bringing together the work of two New Zealand artists who use the human figure to examine experiences extending beyond individual likeness. Curated by Linda Tyler, the exhibition opens on 11 September 2026 and runs through 6 December in the Melvin and Oroya Day Gallery in Wellington.
The presentation combines painting and sculpture, placing Lois White’s modernist-symbolist paintings alongside Terry Stringer’s figurative bronze sculptures. Although the artists are separated by generations and work in different media, the gallery describes both as sharing a commitment to the expressive potential of the human form. Their works move beyond literal representation through gesture, form, symbolism and monumentality.
The exhibition’s stated themes include spirituality, morality, resilience, hope and the complexity of the human condition. Rather than treating the figure solely as a physical subject, White and Stringer use it as a vehicle for considering what the gallery characterises as universal human experiences. Presented together, their practices are framed as a dialogue across generations and as an exploration of how figurative art can carry psychological, symbolic and philosophical meaning.
The exhibition is part of a 2026 programme at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery that also includes ‘Portraits from the Parkin Collection’, on view from 20 August to 8 November. That exhibition draws on the Wellington collection of Sir Chris and Kathy Parkin and includes works by Rita Angus, Nigel Brown, John Walsh and Fiona Pardington. ‘Terry Stringer & Lois White: A Portrait’ is listed as a separate exhibition in the gallery’s Melvin and Oroya Day Gallery.
The New Zealand Portrait Gallery is located in the historic Shed 11 at 60 Lady Elizabeth Lane on the Wellington Waterfront. The gallery identifies itself as an independent institution reliant on grants and private donations. Its venue is on one level and includes automatic sliding doors, an accessible toilet, low stool seating and a wheelchair available for use within the gallery.
The exhibition will be open daily from 10am to 4.30pm. Entry is free for New Zealanders, while international visitors aged 18 and over are charged $10. ‘Terry Stringer & Lois White: A Portrait’ remains on view in Wellington from 11 September until 6 December 2026.
