Centre of Contemporary Art, Contemporary art museum in Christchurch City, New Zealand

The Centre of Contemporary Art is an art museum in central Christchurch featuring rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, installations, and digital works. The galleries spread across multiple spaces that were extensively renovated to showcase contemporary art forms.

The Canterbury Society of Arts, founded in 1880, held its first exhibition in 1881 and moved to its Gloucester Street building in 1968. That modernist gallery was damaged in the February 2011 earthquakes; NZ$4 million was spent on repairs and strengthening. It reopened on 13 February 2016, then closed briefly after the 2016 earthquake the next day.

The centre displays work by local and international artists and invites visitors to join discussions and workshops about contemporary art. These events create opportunities for artists and audiences to connect and share ideas about modern artistic practice.

The location is easily accessible on foot from the city centre and clearly marked from nearby streets. Visitors should allow time to walk between the different gallery spaces in order to see all the exhibitions properly.

The building represents the Christchurch Style of modernist architecture developed by local architects in the post-war period. This regional building approach became an important part of the city's character and shows how the local architectural scene created its own identity.