Fiona Pardington's 'Taharaki Skyside': A Photo Exhibition on Ecological Decline
Fiona Pardington, an acclaimed artist, is set to unveil her compelling exhibition, "Taharaki Skyside," at the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion during the Venice Art Biennale 2026. This collection features striking large-format photographic portraits of preserved birds sourced from museum archives across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. Developed in collaboration with filmmaker and photographer Neil Pardington and expertly curated by Felicity Milburn and Chloe Cull, the exhibition delves into the profound interconnections between environmental degradation, the legacy of colonial collecting practices, and the intricate tapestry of cultural memory. The meticulously composed images present individual birds against deep, somber backgrounds, emphasizing the delicate textures of their feathers, the contours of their beaks, the depth of their eyes, and their inherent postures, transforming them from mere specimens into subjects of quiet contemplation.
The featured avian subjects encompass species unique to Aotearoa New Zealand, including the now-extinct huia and laughing owl, alongside other critically endangered birds that face ongoing threats today. Despite these birds being preserved museum artifacts, Pardington's artistic approach consciously avoids depicting them as inert, archival items. Instead, through the masterful use of soft lighting and close-up framing, the photographs imbue these preserved creatures with a remarkable sense of intimacy and vitality, making them appear almost alive and inviting viewers to connect with their stories on a deeply personal level. This exhibition builds upon Pardington's extensive two-decade engagement with museum collections and the art of photographic still life, a practice that consistently interrogates the historical systems by which objects, living beings, and diverse cultures have been categorized and contained within institutional frameworks.
In "Taharaki Skyside," these overarching concerns extend specifically to ornithology and the escalating crisis of environmental collapse, all while being firmly rooted in Māori perspectives of manu (birds) as sacred spiritual messengers and embodiments of ancestral presence. Within Māori cosmology, birds hold immense genealogical, ecological, and spiritual significance, acting as vital links between the human and divine realms. The exhibition's title itself, hinting at horizons and the expansive sky, thoughtfully reflects on themes of mortality, transcendence, and the enduring connections that span across time and generations. Pardington's portrayal of these birds is characterized by a profound sense of care and interconnectedness. The visible signs of taxidermic restoration, such as carefully stitched feathers and the subtle wear on their surfaces, are deliberately retained in the photographs. These details serve as poignant reminders of the specimens' inherent fragility and the complex histories woven into their very existence. Consequently, the images also function as powerful historical records of humanity's attempts to preserve what has already undergone significant alteration or displacement.
During a 2024 visit to Venice, Pardington was struck by the visual resonance between the skies over the lagoon city and those above the Hunter Hills near Waimate in Te Waipounamu, her home. This observation inspired her and Neil Pardington, the project's creative director, to integrate these atmospheric hues into the exhibition's design, employing softly illuminated colored frames around each photograph. This subtle yet powerful design element symbolically bridges the vast geographical distance between Venice and Aotearoa New Zealand, forging a shared visual horizon across hemispheres. The exhibition further alludes to Dante's depiction of the Southern Hemisphere as Purgatory, framing extinction as an ongoing state shaped by the pervasive forces of colonization, environmental exploitation, and the institutional mechanisms of knowledge production. Pardington's photographs navigate themes of extinction, memory, and profound care with remarkable restraint, fostering encounters that feel both personal and immediate. Each portrait compels viewers to contemplate what it truly means to gaze upon beings that have already vanished or are on the brink of disappearing, while simultaneously confronting the systemic structures that contributed to their demise. Presented at a time of growing global awareness concerning biodiversity loss and the invaluable wisdom embedded in Indigenous knowledge systems, this project underscores photography's capacity not only for documentation but also for healing. Pardington's images hold these species in a delicate equilibrium between sorrow, remembrance, and an enduring sense of presence, urging reflection and inspiring a deeper connection to the natural world.