A home for urban art

Located in the vibrant arts hub of Sydenham, Fiksate is an urban contemporary art gallery and artist studio space with exclusive print releases, fine art printing, and custom framing. 

Jenna Ingram, a Canadian-born, Otautahi-raised artist, mother, and snowboarding enthusiast, is at the helm. Her love for street art and graffiti was evident throughout her studies where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in painting at the University of Canterbury in 2007, but it wasn’t until after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes she began to put passion into practice through the placement of paste-up Band-Aids around the then broken city. Her practice has since evolved into a five-year development of her iconic character ‘Jen Heads’. 

“I see my ‘heads’ as a reflection of me, somewhat self-portrait in the sense they evoke my passions, obsessions, and state of mind. They have softened to a more Papatuanuku style now, which came about after having my son.” 

Fiksate Gallery was founded in 2015 by Jenna and her now-husband Nathan, following Spectrum, a street art exhibition by Oi YOU! held at the city’s YMCA. The team that would become the initial Fiksate were those behind the giant paste-up room installation: Jenna, Nathan, Dr Reuben Woods, and Clint Park. Fiksate Gallery has had three locations and hosted over 20 solo and group shows featuring the work of local, national, and international urban contemporary artists who draw inspiration from graffiti to street art and post-graffiti. 

“There is a sense of freedom within urban art that I was drawn to, and through our participation within the culture, I’ve found a real sense of community and a huge respect for the artists involved and what they do, both in the urban environment or in their studios”. 

Fiksate is committed to providing opportunities and a professional platform for urban artists often marginalised by other entities. Their exhibition openings are always busy, and the monthly risograph print releases with MK Press sell out regularly. 

In addition to exhibitions, Fiksate also offers custom framing and printing, mural design management and installation, individualised commissions from in-house artists, and artwork delivery.