Starkwhite will partner with Glorious to release an exclusive Fiona Pardington NFT, Manawarahi: Female and Male Huia Lovers MTG Hawkes Bay 2022.

The release goes live on the Glorious platform at 6.00pm NZT on 1 July. 

Manawarahi takes advantage of the flexible potential of NFTs to evolve and respond. The work is a diptych divided over time. Collectors who purchase Manawarahi will receive the first part, the huia pair, and at a later date, the second part, which will remain a closely guarded secret until release.

“I find the whole concept very intriguing,” Fiona says. “My photography is basically digital but taken through analogue lenses, so I like the idea of combining the tradition of still life with cutting edge technology. I also like that many people find things like blockchains and NFTs quite mysterious and a little bit magical. I like having that mystery feed back into my work. I’m really enjoying the way it lets me incorporate the element of surprise. Normally with photography what you see is what you get, but this playing with time and expectation is fun. Like any investment there’s an element of risk and I feel like I’m making that literal with the promise of the unknown in this work.”

Priced at NZ$2,000 inc. gst and in an edition of 100, there’s an expectation that the work will sell out quickly, and then be actively traded, especially as the release date of the second work approaches. Given that an NFT’s contract can attribute a percentage of resales back to the artist,  Pardington is donating all proceeds from resales to Wingspan, hopefully providing ongoing funding for their important work. Wingspan is a Rotorua-based charitable trust, which leads the conservation, education and research effort for Aotearoa’s birds of prey. https://www.wingspan.co.nz/