As an author, art historian and curator at City Gallery Wellington, Dr Kirsty Baker is dedicated to expanding the stories we tell about art in Aotearoa. Her debut book, Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa, published in 2024 and longlisted for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, is a testament to her commitment to showcasing the voices of women artists and their vital contributions to our cultural landscape.
Originally from Scotland, Kirsty has lived in New Zealand for over twenty years. In that time, her work has come to centre around the question of what it means to be tangata tiriti, and how Pākehā can stand in support of Māori. This commitment underpins both her writing and curatorial practice.
“At a time when Indigenous land rights are once again under threat, both here in Aotearoa and across the globe, it’s vitally important that we keep elevating the work of Māori artists who engage with these issues from a te ao Māori perspective.”
Kirsty’s recent curatorial projects include Julia Morison: Ode to Hilma (2024), Ngahuia Harrison: Coastal Cannibals (2023), and Ana Iti: I must shroud myself in a stinging nettle (2022). She’s currently working on Site Seeing, a forthcoming exhibition featuring the work of Conor Clarke (Ngāi Tahu, Scottish, Welsh) and Bridget Reweti (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi). Whether through books or exhibitions, her focus is always on highlighting the voices and visions of artists with something essential to say.
“Artists are at the heart of all of my work. I’m drawn to both writing and curating because in both of these modes I have the privilege of elevating the voices of artists and facilitating the work that they do. I’m drawn, always, to artists who have something urgent to say about the world we’re living in, and who say it in ways that are innovative and distinctive to who they are.”
Through Sight Lines, Kirsty amplifies the voices of contemporary women artists who push the boundaries of what art can be, and how it can speak to identity, environment, politics and place. The book poses big questions – ones that are particularly relevant in the current cultural climate.
“The women who are featured have defied restrictive definitions of what art should be and what it can do. Their stories and their work enable us to ask new questions of art history in Aotearoa. How have tangata whenua and tangata tiriti artists negotiated their relationships to each other, and to this place? How have women used their art-making to explore their relationships to land and water, family and community, politics and the nation?”
Engaging, articulate and passionate, Kirsty brings a powerful sense of purpose to everything she does. Whether she’s curating a thought-provoking exhibition or crafting an essay on a contemporary artist, she’s asking us to think more deeply about the world around us – and the role art can play in shaping it.
In a time of increasing urgency – social, political and environmental – her work reminds us of the importance of listening to artists, especially those who challenge, provoke and inspire from the margins. Through her thoughtful storytelling and unwavering advocacy, Kirsty continues to hold space for new voices, new stories and new ways of seeing.
Check out Kirsty’s upcoming exhibition, Site Seeing: https://citygallery.org.nz/exhibitions/site-seeing/
