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Protests over ‘please walk on me’ flag artwork prompt its removal from New Zealand gallery — again
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An artwork titled Flagging the Future, a cloth New Zealand flag with the words "please walk on me" stenciled across it by Māori artist Diane Prince, is displayed on the floor on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the Suter Art Gallery in Nelson, New Zealand. - photo by Catherine Hubbard/Nelson Mail/STUFF via AP
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand flag printed with the words “please walk on me” and laid on the floor of an art gallery has once again been packed away following public outcry, 30 years after protests forced the removal of the same artwork. The Suter Art Gallery in the city of Nelson said Thursday it had taken down the work by Māori artist Diane Prince due to escalating tensions and safety fears. The episode mirrored an Auckland gallery's removal of the work amid public backlash and complaints to law enforcement in 1995.