Where Street Meets Style
Flare Art Co-op Arrives at The Crossing
There’s a particular energy that happens when creativity finds its proper home. Not the temporary kind – the pop-up that disappears with the season – but something more permanent, more purposeful. This is what’s now unfolding at Flare Art Co-op, the artist-led gallery and studio that opened on 31 October in Kettlewell Lane.
For Christchurch’s street art community, this marks a shift from festival seasons to something more enduring. The artists behind Flare have built careers painting the city’s walls, transforming blank facades into conversation pieces. Now they’re channeling that same creative energy into a year-round space where original works, limited-edition prints, and artist-designed pieces rotate through like gallery exhibitions – except you can take them home.
The co-op was born from a simple recognition: mural artists thrive during Ōtautahi’s busy summer festival season, but the quieter months can leave them struggling for income and creative outlets. Flare Art Co-op answers that gap, giving local street artists and designers a platform to showcase and sell their work throughout the year, while keeping the collaborative spirit that defines street art culture alive.
“Having a space like this, run by artists for artists, is such an amazing opportunity for local creatives,” says artist and co-op member McChesney Kelly, who’s been part of building the space from the ground up. The process itself has been creative – artists collaborating on installations, decorating together, sharing ideas about how the space should feel and function.
Fellow artist Ghostcat speaks to what makes this different: creating alongside others in a shared space brings real meaning and momentum. It’s not just about having somewhere to sell work; it’s about building value for the city while ensuring artists themselves are valued in the process.
Walk through on any given week and you’ll encounter fresh work from artists who’ve shaped Ōtautahi’s visual landscape. The environment shifts and evolves, with new pieces appearing alongside workshops, pop-ups, and events that blur the line between shopping destination and creative hub. Limited-edition prints sit alongside original works. Evolving installations change the space’s character. It’s retail as living gallery, where the curation never stops.
What makes Flare Art Co-op particularly compelling is its structure. This isn’t a commercial gallery taking commission or a shop stocking mass-produced prints. It’s genuinely artist-led, with all profits flowing directly back into the Flare kaupapa – funding more murals, creative activations, and community art projects throughout Christchurch. When you buy from Flare, you’re investing in the city’s creative future.
The co-op launched alongside the Christchurch Hip Hop Summit celebrations, a fitting debut for a space that honours street culture while creating sustainable pathways for artists. It’s housed within The Crossing precinct, that distinctive mix of heritage and contemporary architecture in the heart of the central city.
Currently open Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, and weekends from 10am to 5pm, Flare Art Co-op represents something hopeful: a recognition that creativity deserves year-round support, that artists can control their own narrative, and that street art belongs not just on walls, but in the fabric of everyday commerce.
Find it in Kettlewell Lane, where Christchurch’s street art community has built itself a home that lasts beyond the season.