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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