An exhibition that fuses ornithology, botany and contemporary art has commandeered one of the biggest galleries in the capital.
Fiona Hall's new exhibition is a retrospective that spans almost 40 years of work.
Her exhibition Tender is made from 3,000 shredded American one dollar notes and each hand-woven creation is an exact copy of various bird's nests.
"In a sense my work's got one foot in the science camp in that a botanist or an ornithologist could look at the work, and say it's a such and such," Fiona Hall says.
And if one foot is in the science camp, the other is firmly embedded in exploring environmental issues and the effects of consumerism.
"It's just amazing how seductive everyday materials which we then throw away are," Ms Hall says. "And of course now we're thinking, rethinking the packaging of all the commodities we use and that in itself is really interesting."
Ms Hall's multimedia exhibition Forcefield broke record attendance numbers when it showed in Sydney, so Wellington's City Gallery had no qualms giving her the entire gallery - an honour which has gone to only three other artists in the past eight years.
"Fiona Hall is only a mid-career artist," City Gallery director Paula Savage says. "But we feel that she can be taken in the same breath as the other greats of contemporary art."
The Australian artist has spent the last 40 years paying close attention to nature and is drawn to the fragility of New Zealand's flora and fauna - especially species which can no longer be heard.
"It just goes to show what a cacophony the New Zealand birds used to make and how minimal it is now," Ms Hall says.
Forcefield is on show in Wellington until October 19.
3 News
Fiona Hall's new exhibition is a retrospective that spans almost 40 years of work.
Her exhibition Tender is made from 3,000 shredded American one dollar notes and each hand-woven creation is an exact copy of various bird's nests.
"In a sense my work's got one foot in the science camp in that a botanist or an ornithologist could look at the work, and say it's a such and such," Fiona Hall says.
And if one foot is in the science camp, the other is firmly embedded in exploring environmental issues and the effects of consumerism.
"It's just amazing how seductive everyday materials which we then throw away are," Ms Hall says. "And of course now we're thinking, rethinking the packaging of all the commodities we use and that in itself is really interesting."
Ms Hall's multimedia exhibition Forcefield broke record attendance numbers when it showed in Sydney, so Wellington's City Gallery had no qualms giving her the entire gallery - an honour which has gone to only three other artists in the past eight years.
"Fiona Hall is only a mid-career artist," City Gallery director Paula Savage says. "But we feel that she can be taken in the same breath as the other greats of contemporary art."
The Australian artist has spent the last 40 years paying close attention to nature and is drawn to the fragility of New Zealand's flora and fauna - especially species which can no longer be heard.
"It just goes to show what a cacophony the New Zealand birds used to make and how minimal it is now," Ms Hall says.
Forcefield is on show in Wellington until October 19.
3 News
