Aotearoa Artists Make History at Shanghai Biennale

Four acclaimed artists from Aotearoa New Zealand—Ngahina Hohaia, Brett Graham, Shannon Te Ao, and Luke Willis Thompson—are presenting works at the 15th Shanghai Biennale, marking a historic moment for the region’s contemporary art scene.

The exhibition, titled Does the Flower Hear the Bee?, opened at the Power Station of Art in Shanghai on November 8 and continues until March 31, 2026. This represents the first time artists from Aotearoa have participated in the prestigious event since its inauguration in 1996.

The Shanghai Biennale stands as one of Asia’s most influential contemporary art events, anticipated to draw over 400,000 visitors during its five-month run. The four artists were selected following a research visit to Aotearoa by Chief Curator Kitty Scott in February 2025. The exhibition features over 250 works by 67 artists and collectives from China and around the world, exploring new modes of sensorial communication between artwork, audience, and environment.

The Artists

Ngahina Hohaia presents Article 2 (2025), the latest in her series of poi installations spanning 20 years. Created from New Zealand wool blankets inscribed with the text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the work responds to ongoing debates about Māori sovereignty and Indigenous rights.

Brett Graham exhibits Ka Wheeke (2024), a monumental sculpture carved in black lacquer that transforms gun turrets from the 1863 warship Pioneer into a vessel exploring Māori sovereignty and historical resistance. The work draws on the prophetic saying by 19th-century Māori King Tāwhiao: “ka wheeke, ka wheeke”—the time of reckoning will come.

Shannon Te Ao contributes Te pōtiki o te ao, a photographic series examining positionality, portraiture, and the politicization of images. The works center personal narratives while addressing broader trajectories of loss, disembodiment, and transformation in Aotearoa.

Luke Willis Thompson presents Mouvement des Malades, an installation combining a drawing that recreates a chart by philosopher Frantz Fanon with a three-channel video of Jean Chalot’s mural Black Christ and Worshippers, connected through immersive sound recordings capturing the intensity of cyclone-season rainfall.

The Office for Contemporary Art Aotearoa facilitated the artists’ participation, working in partnership with other organizations to enable the presentation of work by New Zealand artists at this major international exhibition.

The 15th Shanghai Biennale is curated by Kitty Scott (Strategic Director of Shorefast and Fogo Island Arts), with Xue Tan (Haus der Kunst, Munich) and Daisy Desrosiers (The Gund at Kenyon College, Ohio).

The 15th Shanghai Biennale continues at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai, until March 31, 2026.