Bird Land: Te Kāhui Manu

The islands of Aotearoa New Zealand were once inhabited by birds. Shrieking, warbling, tinkling, booming. Poised, strutting, gliding, dancing in scribbled loops through the air. Forest, river, marsh, mountain, ocean, shore—everything charged with their mauri, life force. 

Across centuries, artists have strived to capture their essence, creating a rich dialogue that traces human and avian histories in parallel. Bird Land is an immersive visual exploration of the cultural, ecological and imaginative breadth of the realm of birds in Aotearoa—from ancient rock art and taoka Māori, to colonial and scientific drawings and paintings, to modern and contemporary sculpture, weaving, carving, ceramics and photography. 

A rich selection of engaging and wide-ranging texts—by Māori historian Te Maire Tau, curator Ken Hall, musician and author Ariana Tikao, novelist Peter Walker, art historian Rebecca Rice, de-extinction expert Douglas Campbell, weaver Kohai Grace, ornithologist Michael Szabo, documentary maker Bill Morris and writer Greg O’Brien—and artist interviews provide thoughtful context for the reader.