New Zealand artist Fiona Pardington will present her photographic series *Taharaki Skyside* in the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The large-scale, spectral portraits depict preserved specimens of endemic birds, including extinct and critically endangered species like the huia and the South Island Takahe, captured from within the country's natural history collections.
The exhibition holds significant cultural and ecological weight, highlighting both the beauty and fragility of New Zealand's unique biodiversity. Through a Māori worldview, Pardington frames these birds as more than scientific specimens; they are intermediaries between realms, carrying deep cultural meaning while also serving as poignant reminders of loss and the historical practices of collection that contributed to extinction.