FAQs

Is this a gallery? A platform? A store?

Yes — and no.
Provocation Station is a kaupapa, not a category. We publish writing, run community events, support conceptual artists through shop-based representation, and curate kaupapa-led exhibitions — both commercial and not-for-sale. Some parts look like a gallery. Some parts look like a publishing house. Some parts look like a kitchen table.

Who is this for?

Artists, writers, misfits, and kaupapa-led humans who don’t quite fit traditional art structures.
We prioritise Indigenous, Pacific, Māori, and decolonial voices — but we’re also here for our solid tangata tiriti collaborators, queer artists, relational thinkers, conceptual makers, and those just trying to survive and still make something true.

How do I get involved?

There are a few ways:

We also have subscription boxes, merch, and other evolving ways to be part of the ecosystem.

Do you take submissions all the time?

Writing can be submitted anytime, but is reviewed quarterly.
Calls for exhibitions or activations will be posted as they arise. Our Calls for Entry page has everything current.

Do you pay artists and writers?

We do our best — and we’re working to do better.
Artists involved in exhibitions, interviews, and activations are paid. For written submissions, we’re not currently funded to offer payment — but that’s our goal.

If and when we secure specific funding for writing, it will be distributed fairly and retroactively where possible.
We don’t believe in “exposure” as a substitute for respect. Payment is part of the kaupapa.

Where are you based?

We’re primarily based in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), but our artists, writers, and collaborators are all over Aotearoa and beyond. Some events are in-person, some are online. The platform is mobile — it moves with the people.

Are you a charity?

We’re currently in the process of setting up a charitable trust.
Right now, everything is being built with future-proofing in mind — but we’re already operating with kaupapa-first structures, including clear funding streams, public accountability, and artist-first practices.

Can I donate or sponsor?

Yes — and thank you.
We have a Support the Kaupapa page where you can contribute to specific funds (backbone/admin, artist fees, Matariki breakfast, etc.). We’re also open to values-aligned partnerships and sponsorships, as long as they don’t compromise the kaupapa.

Why “Provocation Station”?

Because provocation doesn’t have to mean confrontation — it just means calling something forward.

Sometimes that means asking big, systemic questions. Sometimes it means painting a picture of a duck.
Provocation can be quiet, weird, gentle, or hilarious. It can look like a question, a gesture, a refusal, or a punchline. What matters is the intent — to shift something.

A lot of what we ask artists to do here are provocations, whether they realise it or not. The platform exists to hold that space — to support the kind of making and thinking that doesn't always feel safe or “strategic,” but still matters deeply.

Are you anti-capitalist?

Not exactly — but we’re not playing the game uncritically either.
We know the system is broken. We also know we have to live in it while trying to do better. Our goal isn’t to burn it all down (though some days, sure), but to create alternative models within it — ones that centre artists, redistribute resources, and refuse extraction.

We’re not anti-commerce. We’re anti-bullshit. And we’re trying things until we find what works.

Is this a safe space?

We try.
We aim for safety — cultural, emotional, political — but we’re also not here to over-police or wrap everything in bubble wrap. This is a space where contradiction, discomfort, and complexity are welcome — as long as harm isn’t.

Call us in if we get it wrong. We’ll listen.