Toi Pōneke Arts Centre is a creative space where the city's arts communities interact, produce innovative works, teach and exhibit in the heart of Wellington.
voices notations distortion is the debut solo show by artist and musician Gemma Thompson at Toi Pōneke Gallery 17 Jan - 6 Feb 2026. Inspired by Pauline Oliveros' Sonic Meditations, the exhibition explores her soundwalking practice through graphic scores, realised as drawings, paintings, prints, and sonic compositions. Each mark resonates with its own energy – echoing, layering, and unfolding across the surface.
Join Gemma Thompson on a soundwalk from Toi Pōneke Gallery to Central Park in Aro Valley, finishing at Inverlochy House. Participants will draw inspired by sounds heard on the walk. These drawings will then be transformed into simple drypoint prints using recycled Tetra Pak.
Join artist and musician Gemma Thompson and drummer Sam Sherry as they perform as Tondo, responding live to the graphic scores in the exhibition voices notations distortion.
‘Ua Tafa Mai Ata refers to both the title of the upcoming exhibition held at Toi Pōneke Arts Centre, and the way that many remember the Dawn Raids. Although this is a period associated with trauma, discrimination and feelings of unsafety, ‘Ua Tafa Mai Ata invites an opportunity to engage with this history, while giving Pasifika the agency to let go and bring forward aspects of healing.
