WHANGĀREI

Jesse’s Technicolour Kiwi

Created by Jesse Card

Sponsored by

"Jesse’s Technicolor Kiwi” calls you to think about our complex ecosystems and our place within them.

Reminiscent of sunlight glinting through forest canopy, shadows and light dance across a shimmering surface to reveal the layered, imperfect beauty of nature’s design. Over 30 native plants lend their silhouettes to this work, their overlapping forms creating a chaotic dialogue of colour and texture. Like the messy, interwoven threads of an ecosystem, these shapes merge and collide, reflecting the interconnected, and even adversarial, roles that each element plays in sustaining the whole.

Hidden beneath the vibrant façade, the reflective profiles of Aotearoa’s North and South Islands glint like whispers of our shared belonging to this land. This sculpture stands as a place to reflect, literally and internally: we are not separate from nature but deeply embedded within it.

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Meet Jesse Card

Jesse is an artist and nature-lover who lives in Whangārei, Tai Tokerau. In 2022, he purchased a rural property of in the shadow of Maungamaunu in the Maunu area of Whangārei. Historically this land was forest but for the last century has hosted cows, sheep, and pigs. Jesse is committed to returning this land to primarily native plants to encourage a safe habitat for native animals.

Jesse is also an installation artist and has started installing artworks throughout the property. Ultimately he hopes to host artists for retreats and campouts, art installations, green tech experiments, couchsurfers, campers, and more.

Proudly sponsored by
Whangārei District Council

Love this sculpture so much you wish you could take it home? Well, you could.

After the Kiwi Art Trail ends in early March 2025, every sculpture will be sold at auction.

Find out how you could take a one-of-a-kind sculpture home with you.

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