Fiona Pardington

Fiona Pardington’s large-scale portrait of a female huia expresses the bird as three essential elements set against the blackness of Te Pō: a beady, alert glass eye (made plausibly real through photography); a glowing orange wattle; and a curved, tapering beak. The female’s elongated beak marked her distinctive role within an ancient partnership of interdependence, now ended: the male with his shorter, sturdier beak attacked and opened insect-laden logs, while the female dug deep, skilfully extracting the squirming morsels to be shared.

Te Pō ~ perpetual night

(Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu 15 August 2026 – 8 February 2027)