Artworks at Auckland City Hospital
Art provides a sense of respite from the challenges of being in hospital.
We aim to create a more welcoming and comfortable environment and make the hospital experience feel a little less clinical with works of art.
With over 4,326 pieces in our collection, each artwork has been carefully chosen to improve our hospital spaces, providing moments of inspiration, comfort, and connection.
Each ward has unique needs, and the team works closely with an art advisor to select art that enhances the space, such as nature-inspired artwork featuring New Zealand landscapes, symbolic imagery like a butterfly’s life cycle in a maternity suite to represent transformation and growth, and creative solutions like floral imagery in flower-restricted areas.
Every artwork in the collection has been donated or funded through the Auckland Hospital Foundation. The impact of art in a hospital setting is profound, and we welcome contributions to expand our collection.
Moana (Mezzotint) by
Alexis Neal
Alexis Neal is a contemporary artist based in Auckland, working across print, weaving, and installation to explore cultural identity and material traditions. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Postgraduate Diploma from Elam School of Fine Arts (1997), and a Master’s in Fine Art Media from the Slade School of Fine Arts in London, where she also taught etching. Her practice blends Māori traditions with contemporary printmaking and Raranga Whakairo, creating layered, three-dimensional works. Neal has exhibited widely in New Zealand and internationally, including London, Melbourne, Sydney, the United States, and Norway. Her work reflects on cultural identity, shared histories, and the transformation of materials into contemporary taonga.
Visit the artwork on L6, Main Corridor by Ward 61
The Muttnik Stills (Photographs) by Sriwhana Spong
Born in 1979 in Auckland, Sriwhana Spong is an artist of New Zealand and Indonesian descent, currently based in London. Working across sculpture, film, writing, performance, dance, and sound, her practice explores the spaces where disciplines and ideas intersect. Inspired by the ephemeral materials used in Balinese offerings—objects that merge formal structure with spontaneity—Spong’s work reflects on themes of impermanence, ritual, and transformation. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Auckland (2001) and a Master of Fine Art from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam (2015). Spong has participated in major group exhibitions, artist residencies, and was nominated for New Zealand’s prestigious Walters Prize.
Visit this artwork on L5, Main Corridor outside Ward 51
Star, Ocean, Song to Myself, Genealogy Series (Etchings) by John Pule & G. O'Brien
John Pule is a celebrated painter, printmaker, poet, and writer living and working in Auckland and Niue. Born in Liku, Niue, he migrated to New Zealand in 1964 at the age of two and began exhibiting in 1989 as a largely self-taught artist. His work draws deeply on Niuean art traditions, exploring Pacific history, mythology, and migration through intricate patterns, flora, fauna, and tapa cloth. Pule’s practice blends storytelling with symbolism, confronting themes of identity, colonisation, and displacement. His art is held in major public collections including Auckland Art Gallery, Te Papa, and the National Gallery of Victoria. He is also the subject of the monograph Hauaga (2010) and was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2012.
Visit this artwork on L3, Main Corridor
Roger Boyce painting
Donated through the Auckland Hospital Foundation by artist Roger Boyce, this work holds personal significance, created during a pivotal time in his New York-based practice. The pieces feature large-scale geometric forms inspired by natural patterns seen in rivers, mountains, and landscapes. Their production was both costly and labour-intensive, resulting in a limited body of work. Viewers often describe these pieces as evoking the wildness of nature and prompting personal reflection on the natural world. The series represents a peak in ambition and creative drive for Boyce, marking an important moment in his career.
Visit the artwork in Building 1, Level 7 near the elevator
Monarch Series (Watercolours) by Penny Otto
Penny Otto is a painter, illustrator, and arts educator based in Auckland, with a career spanning teaching, commissions, and exhibitions. She holds a Diploma in Fine Arts (Hons) from the University of Canterbury and has taught since the 1970s at Selwyn Community Education, Auckland University of Technology, and Auckland Society of Arts. Recently, she was commissioned by a Swiss patron to create twelve paintings on the life cycle of a butterfly, gifted to the hospital as a permanent symbol of healing. Her illustrations have featured in New Statesman, New Zealand Listener, Qantas Inflight Magazine, and more. She has received the Iris Fisher Award, Nola Holmwood Portrait Prize, and has been a finalist in Estuary Artworks.
Visit this artwork on L9, Ward 91, Birthing & Labour Unit
Help create welcoming spaces for those who need it most.
With your support, we can improve the hospital spaces where people face their most challenging moments, creating a more friendly and comforting environment.
News about hospital artworks
Catch up on the latest new art at Auckland City Hospital, made possible with your support.
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