Bird of Paradise
Created by Emma Bass
“Bird of Paradise” shows a lush Aotearoa landscape, divided by a long white cloud with day on one side and night on the other. A joyful bouquet of native and exotic flowers on the kiwi’s rear-end surprises us. It features Emma’s signature depiction of the monarch butterfly’s lifecycle, a key pollinator for our ecosystem. The kiwi, as a seed disperser, regenerates our native bush in much the same way.
It’s a privilege to walk our trails, hear the tūī sing, and watch the pīwakawaka dance. Knowing our national bird is nearby, quietly treading the bush floor at night, reminds us of our shared identity as New Zealanders and our deep connection to this beautiful land.
I feel so lucky to be a Kiwi and call Aotearoa home.
Meet Emma Bass
Emma Bass is an established artist whose practice centres on flowers, nature and wellbeing through beauty.
Emma was born in Liberia, West Africa in 1967 and lived in England before arriving in New Zealand aged six, where she resides in Auckland.
At age 10, Emma's father, then a cardiologist, insisted that she paint flowers on the walls and windows of the coronary care unit where he worked. This led to a lifelong interest in the power of nature and beauty to uplift and promote healing and wellbeing. To this end, Emma has donated works to hospitals, hospices, oncology units and many other places of wellbeing. Scientific studies support the fact that flowers can provide physiological and psychological advantages such as stress reduction.
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