Highlights

Niki Hastings-McFall (b. 1959) A flock of blooms 2001 perspex, road sign vinyl, steel fittings 2400 x 1300 mm (irregular) Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection

Niki Hastings-McFall’s A flock of blooms is a Pacific lei (ula) of four-petalled flowers made from reflective vinyl and perspex in various sizes and strung together with steel fittings. Hastings-McFall is of Samoan and New Zealand European descent. Since reconnecting with her extended Samoan family, she has become more interested in her Pacific cultural heritage. Hastings-McFall’s artistic practice reflects upon the meeting points of New Zealand and Pacific culture. In A flock of blooms, Hastings-McFall juxtaposes the urban materials of vinyl and perspex with the traditional Pacific symbol of a four-petalled flower. By titling the artwork A flock of blooms, Hastings-McFall makes specific reference to the impact of Christianity on Pacific cultures; the word flock referring to a Christian congregation in this context. —Elizabeth Laing

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