Interview with the artist of the enchanting New Zealand Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale

Intervista all’artista dell’ammaliante Padiglione Nuova Zelanda alla Biennale Arte 2026

Fiona Pardington, a Māori artist from Devonport (1961), will represent New Zealand at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a deeply spiritual and ecologically conscious installation in the national pavilion. Her project centers on the takahe, a bird long thought extinct, using photography, sound, and immersive space to evoke loss, memory, and transformation. Pardington’s work draws on Ngāi Tahu culture, colonial history, and natural history, featuring a taxidermied takahe specimen from the British Museum that she re-photographed and chromatically restored.

First solo art exhibition for Timaru teen Felix Anderson-Goldsmith

Felix Anderson-Goldsmith, a 17-year-old pencil artist from Timaru, New Zealand, is preparing for his first solo exhibition at the Red Bird Gallery in Timaru. The exhibition opens on January 9, 2026, and runs until February 3, featuring ten works including pencil realism pieces and two pop art paintings on skateboards. Anderson-Goldsmith previously gained recognition as a shortlisted entrant in the 2024 Parkin Drawing Prize, where he received a highly commended award. Gallery owner Polly Rowe offered him the show after being impressed by his sketches, and has guided him in developing a cohesive body of work.