Darkness takes centre stage in Jason Greig’s Blood is Thicker

Christchurch, New Zealand - Dark shadows, werewolves and gothic masterpieces converge at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū this Halloween, when Jason Greig: Blood is Thicker opens on 31 October.

  Exhibition launch party

The Quarter x Dark Arts
Come dance with fellow denizens of the night as you joyfully embrace your dark side.

Friday 30 October | 6.30pm-late
Georgia Knight, The Hex Waves, DJ Kiran Dass, DJ THANKS
Free entry

Developed in partnership by The Dowse Art Museum and City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, the exhibition brings together paintings and monoprints by

Lyttelton artist Jason Greig with a remarkable selection of 18th and 19th century works by artists including Francisco Goya, Odilon Redon, Käthe Kollwitz, Gustave Doré and Félicien Rops.

Curators Aaron Lister and Chelsea Nichols say the exhibition reveals the artistic lineage connecting Greig’s work to some of art history’s great masters of the dark and uncanny.

“Jason Greig has long been one of New Zealand’s great gothic imaginations,” says Lister.

“His work is populated by haunted figures, strange visions and vivid psychological landscapes. By placing his paintings and monoprints alongside artists from previous centuries, we wanted to show how these obsessions echo through art history.”

Nichols says Blood is Thicker isn’t a traditional survey exhibition.

“The exhibition brings together artists bound by a shared attraction to darkness, beauty and mystery. It’s immersive, atmospheric and full of unexpected connections between Greig and the other artists on show.”

Greig, who lives and works in Lyttelton, has built a reputation over more than three decades for artworks that blend mythology, literature, music and personal experience into richly imagined worlds.

Christchurch Art Gallery Director Blair Jackson says the exhibition is a particularly meaningful addition to the Gallery’s programme.

“We’re delighted to bring Blood is Thicker to Ōtautahi Christchurch and celebrate the work of one of our city’s most distinctive artists.

“There’s something special about presenting this exhibition in Jason’s hometown. Visitors will encounter a body of work that is compelling, imaginative and unlike anything else on show this summer.”

Jason Greig: Blood is Thicker opens at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū on 31 October 2026 and runs until 26 April 2027.

Main artwork: Jason Greig Blood is Thicker 2005. Monoprint.  Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 2005