Free admission

Be dazzled by Aotearoa New Zealander contemporary artist Lisa Reihana’s GLISTEN, a striking artwork that shimmers captivatingly in its outdoor environment with 114,000 shimmer discs. The patterns in this larger-than-life kinetic installation were inspired by Southeast Asian Songket and Māori Tāniko weaving patterns.

  • When: Now till 13 Jul 2025
  • Suitable For: Adults, Families, Visitors 65 and above, Visitors with accessibility needs, Students and Educators
  • Where: Level 5, Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Gallery, City Hall Wing

Weaving together the artistry and history of Southeast Asia and New Zealand

Intertwining art and nature, the three-sided sculpture reacts and responds playfully to its surrounding natural environment.

With over 114,000 shimmer discs reflecting the sunlight, with an accompanying soundscape of wind chimes, GLISTEN orchestrates a multi-sensory encounter with the artwork.

Experience the celebratory and joyful nature of the artwork, which inspires a deeper appreciation of Southeast Asian and New Zealand cultures. It prompts you to ponder the connections between the two, which has existed since pre-colonial times.

GLISTEN emerges from Reihana’s longstanding research into Maori ancestral knowledge, materials and costumes, and her extended research into Malaysian Songket weaving.

This unique commission honours the traditions, labour, and pivotal roles that Songket and Tāniko’s women weavers played. They were makers, communicators, knowledge bearers, and mediators, long before the Asia Pacific region’s first contact with Western culture.

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

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Did you know?
Did you know?

Tāniko is a traditional Māori style of finger weaving. Tāniko patterns are often woven around the borders of korowai (cloaks) and relay Māori stories, histories, and values. Māori weavers’ designs consisted of triangles, diamonds, diagonal bars and stepped patterns. These designs were usually worked in black, red, and white.

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Did you know?
Did you know?

Songket is a textile handwoven in silk or cotton and patterned with gold or silver threads. Songket is traditionally worn during ceremonial occasions, such as weddings and religious ceremonies. The colour and grandeur of Songket adds to the occasion, and in the early centuries, Songket was only worn by Malay royalty.

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