Fine arts

Dunedin's galleries, both private and public, have another strong year ahead.

The Artist's Room celebrates its 15th birthday this year with a special showcase in August but begins the year with a launch of a book by Donna Rutherford Moireach, which is illustrated by artist Tyler Kennedy-Stent's paintings, which will be for sale.

Artist Michel Tuffery was one of the first artists to show in The Artists Room when it opened in Dowling St in 2004, so he will mark that with an exhibition.

There will also be exhibitions by Jane Shriffer, Julie Greig, Jane Crisp, Sam Foley, Ellie Gray and more.

Milford Galleries Dunedin will host exhibitions by Neil Frazer (Frances Hodgkins Fellow 1992), Michael Hight, featuring both a new body of beehive works and his night paintings, and Dick Frizzell.

Milford Galleries Queenstown will be showing debut solo exhibitions by Emily Woolf and Yukari Kaihori. Christchurch artist Darryn George will also be exhibited, as will Dunedin's Jenna Packer.

Artist Inge Doesberg has doubled the size of her Castle St gallery and will concentrate on selected works exhibitions.

''I want the gallery focus as a destination gallery for people to be able to buy contemporary mainly Dunedin art or works not necessarily found in other dealer galleries in town by graduates and or lecturers at the Dunedin School of Art and by my established artists who produce work on paper, photographs, drawings and paintings.''

The Otago Art Society is joining the Fringe Festival for the first time with an exhibition titled ''Nudes''.

It will continue with its usual schedule of exhibitions and competitions, such as the Cleveland Art Exhibition in May and the Edinburgh Realty Art Awards in August followed by the Youth Art Awards in September.

Dunedin Public Art Gallery's first new exhibition for 2019 is one by Dunedin-based artist Saskia Leek. Called ''Early Telepaths'', her paintings draw elements from representational and abstract art.

The Hocken's gallery exhibitions for 2019 include an installation by 2018 Frances Hodgkins Fellow Louise Menzies, ''A Garden of Earthly Delights'' exhibition celebrating the University of Otago's 150th and featuring works from the university library's rare book collection and research collections held in science departments and an exhibition to mark 250 years since the first on-shore encounters between Maori and Pakeha.