Thousands of kilometres from home, a Ngāi Tahu delegation is in Venice to stand beside acclaimed Ngāi Tahu artist Dr Fiona Pardington as her exhibition Taharaki Skyside opens at the 61st Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art events.
The exhibition represents Aotearoa New Zealand at La Biennale di Venezia and centres on 17 large-scale photographic portraits of manu, including extinct and endangered native birds held in museum collections.
Grounded in mātauraka Māori, the name Taharaki reflects ideas of whakapapa, ancestral connection, as described by Dr Hana O’Regan in her collaboration with Pardington.
“It was easy for me to think of what that meant in terms of the translation Taharaki. Of course, using our southern Kaitahu dialect, but also the beauty of the image of that space between the skies and the land, the space between our tipuna and those of us that are living,” O’Regan said.
O’Regan, who is also Pardington’s cousin, said their relationship has been strengthened through years of creative collaboration. For her, supporting Pardington in Venice was about surrounding the artist with whānau, whakapapa and tikanga far from home.
“Tokorima mātou i haramai i te haukāika, ā, he rōpū anō o ā mātou irāmutu e noho ana ki Rānana i whakapiri mai nuku mai ki konei kia kotahi ai te rōpū hei parirau whakaruruhau i tēnei mātaka toi,” . O’Regan said
Ahead of the exhibition opening, members of the wider Ngāi Tahu delegation joined them as they carried out karakia, whakawātea and waiata in Venice. The group was also joined by representatives from the Aotearoa art community.
“I couldn’t cry initially, I was just like crying on the inside and just overwhelmed, full body chills. I’m just surrounded by so much aroha.” Pardington said. “I could feel our tupuna, just holding Hana’s hand, holding Irihāpeti’s hand, you know, then seeing my brother.”
She said the moment was not only about her own achievement, but the collective effort behind the exhibition.
“I just knew that it was a time to celebrate our community and to bring forward the talents of everybody, not just me.”
Her brother and the exhibition’s creative director, Neil Pardington, said the event attracts global attention.
“They call it the art Olympics, and it is at that scale,” he said.
Neil Pardington himself is a creative director, designer and photographer who has built a long career working across fine art books and major exhibition projects in Aotearoa and internationally.
“I think we’re very lucky for our presentation, our opening to have a powhiri supported by our whānau and our hapū and our cousins that have come to support us,” he said.
He said the presence of whānau created the right environment ahead of the international showcase.
“To have all of that wrapped around us this morning is just the best possible way to be delivered into this event.”
According to official Venice Biennale pavilion material, Taharaki Skyside was a connection between Indigenous knowledge, ecological loss and museum archives, presenting manu as “living ancestors” and carriers of memory between earth and sky.
. Pardington, who is of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kahungunu and Clan Cameron of Erracht descent, was announced as Aotearoa New Zealand’s featured artist for the 2026 Biennale last year. She is internationally recognised for photographic works exploring taoka, museum collections and extinction and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025 for photography services
Following its international showing in Venice, Taharaki Skyside will return home to be exhibited at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
Ka kawea te ringatoi Ngāi Tahu e te whānau ki te atamira o te ao
Ahakoa e hia mano kiromita te tawhiti atu i te kāinga, kua tae atu tētahi rōpū nō Ngāi Tahu ki Wēneti hei kaitautoko i te ringatoi rongonui, i a Tākuta Fiona Pardington, i te whakatuwheratanga o tana whakaaturanga Taharaki Skyside ki te Venice Biennale 61st — tētahi o ngā hui toi whakahirahira rawa o te ao.
Ko te whakaaturanga nei he tuohu ki a Aotearoa i La Biennale di Venezia, ā, e aro ana ki ngā whakaahua manu e tekau mā whitu, tae atu ki ngā manu kua ngaro, kua tata ngaro hoki, e puritia ana i ngā kohinga o ngā whare taonga. I tākā mai tēnei i te mātauranga Māori, ā, ko te ingoa Taharaki e hāngai ana ki te whakapapa me te hononga tūpuna. E ai ki a Tākuta Hana O’Regan i roto i tana mahi tahi me . Pardington.
“It was easy for me to think of what that meant in terms of the translation Taharaki. Of course, using our southern Kaitahu dialect, but also the beauty of the image of that space between the skies and the land, the space between our tipuna and those of us that are living,” I kī a . O’Regan.
E aí ki a.. O’Regan, he whanaunga anō ia ki a Pardington, ā, kua kaha ake tō rāua hononga i roto i ngā tau maha o te mahi auaha ngātahi. Hei tāna, i haere rātou ki Itāria kia taiāmio i a Pardington me te whānau, te whakapapa, me te tikanga i te wā e noho tawhiti ana ia i te kāinga.
“Tokorima mātou i haramai i te haukāika, ā, he rōpū anō o ā mātou irāmutu e noho ana ki Rānana i whakapiri mai nuku mai ki konei kia kotahi ai te rōpū hei parirau whakaruruhau i tēnei mātaka toi,” Hei tā . O’Regan.
I mua i te whakatuwheratanga o te whakaaturanga, i uru atu te rōpū whānui o Ngāi Tahu ki ngā karakia, whakawātea me te waiata i Wēneti. I hono atu hoki ētahi māngai o te ao toi o Aotearoa.
“I couldn’t cry initially, I was just like crying on the inside and just overwhelmed, full body chills. I’m just surrounded by so much aroha,” I kī a . Pardington. “I could feel our tupuna, just holding Hana’s hand, holding Irihāpeti’s hand, you know, then seeing my brother.”
E ai ki a ia, ehara i te mea ko ia te aronga matua o te whakaaturanga, engari ko te whāinga kia whakanui i te hapori me te hunga katoa i whai wāhi ki te kaupapa.
“I just knew that it was a time to celebrate our community and to bring forward the talents of everybody, not just me.”
Ko tana tungāne, a Neil Pardington, te kaiārahi auaha o te whakaaturanga, ā, i kī ia he hui nui tēnei e tirohia ana e te ao.
“They call it the art Olympics,s and it is at that scale.”
Ko Neil Pardingt, on he kaiārahi auaha, he kaihoahoa, he ringatoi whakaahua hoki, kua roa nei e mahi ana i ngā pukapuka toi me ngā kaupapa whakaaturanga nui i Aotearoa me te ao whānui.
“I think we’re very lucky for our presentation, our opening to have a powhiri supported by our whānau and our hapū and our cousins that have come to support us,” I kī ia.
Ko tā Mr. Pardington, i hanga te mahi ngātahi me ngā whānau o Ngāi Tahu i te taiao tika mō te whakarewatanga o te kaupapa ki te atamira o te ao.
“To have all of that wrapped around us this morning is just the best possible way to be delivered into this event.”
E ai ki ngā rauemi mana o te Venice Biennale, e hono ana a Taharaki Skyside ki ngā mātauranga taketake, te ngaronga o te taiao me ngā kohinga whare taonga, ā, e whakaatu ana i ngā manu hei “living ancestors” me ngā kaikawe mahara i waenga i te whenua me te rangi.
I tērā tau i whakaingoatia a Pardington nō Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Ngāti Kahungunu me Clan Cameron of Erracht, hei māngai toi mō Aotearoa ki te Biennale. E mōhiotia whānuitia ana ia mō āna mahi whakaahua e tirotiro ana i ngā taoka, ngā kohinga whare taonga me te mate ā-moa, ā, i whakawhiwhia ia ki te tohu Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit i ngā King’s Birthday Honours 2025 mō āna ratonga ki te whakaahua.
Whai muri i te whakaaturanga ki Wēneti, ka hoki mai a Taharaki Skyside ki te kāinga ki te whakaaturia ki Te Puna o Waiwhetū.’
Nā Hora Nicholas nō Tahu News
