Culture 101

Curator of Historical Photography Lissa Mitchell speaks to Culture 101 about Slow Burn: Women and Photography Slow Burn, an exhibition showcasing more than five decades of photography by women and non binary artists from Aotearoa.

Film critic Kate Rodger joins Culture 101 to review Crime 101, GOAT, and Train Dreams.

Principal percussionist Eric Renick, who will perform in the production, speaks to Culture 101 about bringing Béla Bartók's opera Bluebeard's Castle to contemporary audiences.

Rakiura, Stewart Island is home to a microcosm of artists who find inspiration from this remote location. Summers are often spent hosting tourists and displaying the island's signature hospitality while winter brings some down time to craft and create.

With 150 theatre productions under his belt, actor Mark Hadlow has a very long CV. International audiences may recognise him from King Kong, The Hobbit and keen fans will remember his contribution to character voices in Meet The Feebles.

First airing in 1960, Coronation Street is the world's longest running soap opera. At its peak it was attracting 20 million viewers during weeknights in the UK. Now, the beloved dreary rooftops of Manchester have been given a Kiwi comedy reboot.

After almost 50 years in business, iconic Matakana pottery company Morris and James closed its doors last year. But now the legacy of the ceramics studio, known for their colourful and bold kitchen and garden ware, will live on.

Our Fast Favourites guest this week can be described as many things, author, speaker, listener, mum, mentor and advocate. And before that, a TV presenter.

The French-American artist, Louise Bourgeois found fame later in life with her reputation and market value soaring after her death.

Fringe Festival is back in Wellington - starting this month from the 13th of February until the 7th of March.

Major rebuild forges ahead at Auckland's historical St James theatre.

The Big Screen: Dan Slevin.

Poetry has taken off in the past decade, with a resurgence, especially amongst young people.

When artist Cora-Allan was asked to create the burial garments for her Niuean grandparents - it was a request that would change the course of her life.

Most people will know Alison Quigan for her long-term role as receptionist Yvonne Jeffries on Shortland Street. But that's just one slice of the pie.

Karma Barnes talks with us about CO-Lapses, her atmospheric installation of suspended vessels that slowly release coloured sands to form shifting landscapes on the ground below. Her work often responds to nature, climate disruption and the ways communities adapt and rebuild. This has been a significant period for Karma, with CO-Lapses winning the Grand Prix at the Larnaca Biennale before showing i...

Seanchoíche (that's shan-a-key-ha, if you're wondering), is a global series of storytelling nights that Ciaran founded to celebrate real people and real stories. A natural storyteller fluent in several languages, he's grown Seanchoíche from a small idea into an international community, with packed-out events across Ireland, the UK, Europe and beyond, it's now catching on in Aotearoa.

One of Aotearoa's most trusted film voices, Kate shares what she's loving right now at the movies and why it's worth seeing it on the big screen.

Known for helping introduce Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours to everyday home cooking, Yotam Ottolenghi popularised ingredients like sumac and molasses and developed a style so influential it became known as the Ottolenghi effect. His abundant approach to food, from generous salads to vibrant baked treats displayed in large bowls, helped reshape how many people think about flavour and pre...

Illustrator Ruby Jones chats about the work that first drew international attention to her. After the Christchurch mosque attacks, she created an illustration of two women embracing that was shared widely around the world, and she later illustrated a cover for Time magazine. With her first solo exhibition, Soft Lines: Illustrating Empathy, now open at Tuhura Otago Museum, Ruby reflects on the them...

Lucy Lawless, one of Aotearoa's most iconic actors, takes part in Fast Favourites. Known for Xena: Warrior Princess, Pike River, and My Life is Murder, she's also a long-time advocate for environmental and LGBTQIA+ rights. In recent years she has stepped behind the camera, directing projects including her 2024 documentary Never Look Away and the new TVNZ crime drama Blue Murder Hotel. Lucy shares...

Anthony Hoy Fong has carved out a hugely successful career, cooking for US presidents, Oprah and has worked with NBA legend Shaquille O'Neill to design school lunches for kids in Miami. Culture 101 speaks to Anthony Hoy Fong about his menu and cooking hang-style lamb on the steps of the Met.

This year's Bruce Mason Playwrighting Award has been awarded to Anders Falstie-Jensen. In 2015, Centrepoint won the Adam Award for Best New Zealand Play. Falstie-Jensen has been an artist in residence at the Basement Theatre in Auckland and has also worked with the New Zealand International Film Festival, Massive Theatre Company and Douglas Wright Dance Company.

In the lead up to Christmas we've been looking back at the best books and television of the year. This week - it's time to look at the best films - with Kate Rodger.

Dr Penelope Jackson speaks to Culture 101 about the fascination with art and crime and why writing about it can be complicated and difficult.