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The Auckland arts scene is busy, particularly in the area of visual arts, with some 60 dealer galleries operating. Theater is on the rise and more touring exhibitions and performing companies are coming through the city than ever before. The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra performs regularly, including at the summer series of free concerts in the park at the Domain, when thousands of music lovers sit with picnics under the stars. The Vector Arena by the harbor attracts plenty of rock acts, too.
This Auckland Council-funded gallery is off-the-beaten art track in the Otara Town Centre, but it's well worth visiting for the extraordinary work it shows. Emerging artists, many from the Pacific, test boundaries not only in materials used, but also with content and techniques. The space is also used by the South Auckland Poets' Collective for performance poetry that plays to packed houses.
