Eden Park transformed into sprawling art gallery

An Afghan artist finding her voice, a Kiwi creative returning from Los Angeles and a stadium transformed into a giant gallery. Art in the Park is showcasing more than 3000 original works – but some of the most remarkable stories are those behind the art.

Eden Park has witnessed its fair share of masterpieces over the years, usually involving a rugby ball or cricket bat.

But this weekend, the country's national stadium is celebrating a different kind of talent.

More than 140 artists have taken over the venue for the sixth annual Art in the Park, transforming its concourses, exhibition spaces and even the famous playing field into a showcase of New Zealand creativity.

Among them is 26-year-old Laya Rasooli, whose paintings tell a deeply personal story of identity, displacement and belonging.

For the young Afghan artist, exhibiting her work at one of New Zealand's most recognisable landmarks is a milestone she once could only have imagined.

"This has been huge for me, like being with these many artists, these many professional artists that have been given their life to this," she told 1News.

"It's an incredible opportunity."

Rasooli, who is also studying architecture and works as an interpreter, uses colour, texture and abstract imagery to explore her experiences of belonging to different cultures.

She said the question of where someone comes from is not always straightforward.

"There are heaps of places that I belong to and people that I belong to," she said.

Her paintings reflect the complexity of having connections to different places, languages and communities, while trying to understand her own identity.

One of her works, Tree of Life, explores the experiences and relationships that shape a person – including those that aren't immediately visible to others.

"It holds the meaning of the things, the roots, the people, the culture we hold underneath all that beauty that people see at the top," she explained.

For Rasooli, painting and poetry often go hand in hand.

She has written poems to accompany her artworks, using words to further explore the emotions behind each piece.

Another painting, Who Am I?, proved particularly difficult to share.

The work explores her experiences of displacement alongside the importance of family, friendship, culture and belonging.

"It's not only the darkness, it's also the beauty of family, culture, friends, belonging, experiences, good experiences and bad experiences that has shaped me," she said.

"It was really difficult for me to put it out there for the world to see, but if it helps other people to belong, if it helps other people to see themselves in it, why not?"

Rasooli also hopes her presence at the exhibition will inspire other Afghan women, particularly those living under restrictions in Afghanistan.

She said the opportunities available to her in New Zealand stood in stark contrast to those available to many women and girls in her homeland.

"For me as an Afghan girl, I see the opportunities that I have in New Zealand that most people in Afghanistan don't and especially our girls in Afghanistan don't."

She hopes seeing an Afghan artist exhibiting at a major New Zealand event will encourage others to pursue their ambitions, whether in the arts, business or other fields.

And she is determined that the women of Afghanistan should not be defined solely by the restrictions they face.

"I want to share a fact about Afghan women. They never give up," she said.

Rasooli pointed to women continuing to operate businesses and promote their work online despite the challenges they face.

"The amount of motivation they hold ... it's incredible."

She also credited the support of her family, friends, colleagues and fellow students for helping her reach this milestone.

While Rasooli's works invite viewers to look closely, another artist is encouraging them to look up and across the Eden Park field.

Internationally acclaimed New Zealand artist Jesse Woolston has returned from Los Angeles with the largest work of his career.

His immersive digital installation, The Infinite Constant Front, has transformed part of the stadium into a monumental display of moving imagery and sound.

Inspired by the natural world, the work explores everything from waterfalls and ocean waves to storms and the forces shaping the universe.

Woolston, whose background includes music composition and computational art, said bringing the installation to life was the culmination of years of creative ambition.

"I didn't ever think I would end up here and doing this," he told 1News.

"Throughout the last 10 years of working internationally, I've always wanted to come back to New Zealand and do something in my home."

The installation combines his fascination with nature and technology, creating an experience that is intended to be felt as much as understood.

He said he didn't want to dictate what audiences should take away from the work.

"Just have your moment with the work," he said.

But he does hope the scale of the installation encourages other New Zealand artists to think bigger.

"I hope it would encourage other Kiwi artists to be like, OK, we can do more, we can go further, we can actually push things."

Woolston said transforming the famous sporting venue into an exhibition space was an ambitious undertaking.

"Nobody's ever done this before. OK, let's do it. It's really a mighty feat."

Beyond the headline installations, visitors can explore more than 3000 original works spanning painting, sculpture, photography, digital art and mixed media.

And they're not simply there to be admired.

Every artwork at Art in the Park is available to purchase, with prices starting at $50 and climbing to more than $100,000 for major collector pieces.

The exhibition also includes artist discussions, specialist talks and opportunities for visitors to create their own art.

Now in its sixth year, Art in the Park has welcomed more than 54,000 visitors since its inception, supported more than 600 artists and sculptors, and facilitated the sale of more than 7000 artworks.

Organisers say the event has also created more than 200 full-time and temporary jobs.

Last year's exhibition attracted 11,000 visitors.

For Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner, the exhibition is another example of how the stadium is evolving beyond its traditional sporting role.

"Eden Park is a blank canvas for creativity," he said.

"Seventy per cent of what we're doing today wasn't part of our business model 10 years ago."

Sautner said the exhibition had developed into a significant platform for local artists, providing opportunities to connect with audiences and potentially build international careers.

He said the stadium had generated more than $1 billion in economic benefit since the Rugby World Cup, across its wider programme of events.

He also acknowledged the need for future investment in the venue, particularly its ageing North Stand, as Eden Park looks to expand its range of events.