Showcasing the best of local and national artists for 28 years
Located in the Town Basin, Whangarei, Burning Issues Gallery has showcased the best of local and national artists for over 28 years.
We are especially proud to exhibit the best of Northland object art.
The high standard of work in the gallery is well recognised both within New Zealand and internationally.
The gallery is open 7 days a week.
Our Story
The gallery was established in 1995 by glass artists Shona Firman and Keith Mahy in conjunction with their studio adjacent. It is currently owned by Kathryn Beros and Philip Kilmore, who purchased it in July 2017. Kathryn, who had worked in galleries for 15 years, is delighted to be the owner of a gallery with such a long and excellent reputation. Philip is a highly regarded photorealist artist, whose work is featured on the gallery walls. Kathryn and Philip relish the opportunity to work with their artists and enjoy curating the displays, which they change regularly - they've been known to change the entire gallery so as to display new work to it's best! They want the gallery to be a welcoming, inspirational and enjoyable experience for their customers. Which, judging by the feedback they've received since taking over, it is. The positive comments about both the quality of the display, and of the work, are constant. With Philip having been a professional artist for more than 15 years, and Kathryn doing gallery admin for as long, they both understand that each work an artist creates contains a piece of their heart and soul - and more often than not, their blood, sweat and tears! They also appreciate how precarious and often stressful an artist's existence is in such a small country as NZ, and the artists are always a top priority - in conjunction with their customers of course! Both Kathryn and Philip are hands-on owners, and can be found in the gallery most days where they are happy to talk all day about the beautiful, captivating, often breath-taking, sometimes quirky and amusing artworks.