Be dazzled by the shimmers and soundscape of Aotearoa New Zealander contemporary artist Lisa Reihana’s GLISTEN, a striking kinetic large-scale outdoor installation adorned with patterns inspired by the rich traditions of Southeast Asian Songket and Māori Tāniko weaving.

Intertwining art and nature, the three-sided sculpture reacts and responds playfully to its surrounding natural environment. With over 114,000 shimmer discs beautifully reflecting light, and with the accompanying soundscape of the wind chime, GLISTEN orchestrates a multi-sensory encounter with the artwork.

Visitors of all ages are welcome to experience the celebratory and joyful nature of the artwork, inspiring a deeper appreciation of the respective cultures while prompting them to explore the connections between Southeast Asia and New Zealand which have existed since pre-colonial times.

GLISTEN emerges from Reihana’s longstanding research into Māori ancestral knowledge, materials and costumes, and her extended research into Songket weaving for this unique commission. This sculpture honours the traditions, labour and pivotal roles of Songket and Tāniko’s women weavers as makers, communicators, knowledge bearers and mediators prior to the Asia Pacific region’s first contact with Western culture.

Click here to find out more about the Tāniko and Songket weaving patterns featured in GLISTEN.

This is the 7th Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series, which annually showcases the creations of leading international artists.

Artist Biography

Lisa Reihana (Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāi Tāteauru, Ngāi Tāpoto; b. 1964, Aotearoa New Zealand) is a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice spans large scale video, digital art, sculpture, costume and body adornment, and photography. Being a woman of Māori and Welsh-English descent, Reihana has worked towards expanded representations of Pacific and Māori identities, knowledge, and cultures. Since the 1990s, she has claimed digital technologies and virtual space as realms where innovation meets ancestral knowledge. Lisa Reihana is a member of the Pacific Sisters, a Tāgata Moana art collective that emerged from the fringes of mainstream arts and culture in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1991.

VIDEO CONTENT

GLISTEN: Artist Talk by Lisa Reihana

Access Advisory

National Gallery Singapore is committed to creating an inclusive experience for our diverse audiences.

Click here for the Artwork Access Advisory.

Series Partner

The Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Gallery is made possible through a gift from Far East Organization