Fiona Pardington

Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1961
Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Māori, Clan Cameron, Scottish

Still Life with Barley Grass and Freesia, Waiheke

  • 2011-2012
  • Epson hot press natural 320gsm colour photograph
  • Gift of Sheelagh Thompson marking her 86th birthday and honouring director Jenny Harper's dedication to Christchurch Art Gallery during the five years of its closure after the 2010-11 Canterbury earthquakes.
  • 1402 x 1760mm
  • 2016/020

“Every object has a particular meaning for me, a certain feeling, an emotion, a history – often a history I can sense, even though I can’t tell you its story.” —Fiona Pardington

Fiona Pardington’s still-life photographs assemble a myriad collection of objects that carry highly personal meanings for the artist. Objects, both found and owned, are assembled in the European still-life tradition but on the artist’s terms. Water held in containers, like the vase in this work, represent South Island creeks and rivers reflecting Fiona’s connection to Te Waipounamu through her Ngāi Tahu and Clan Cameron heritage.

(Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection, 6 August 2022- )

Exhibition History