Seven-metre ‘Big Flowers’ bloom outside Te Papa
Friday, 6 March 2026
Four towering flowers have bloomed on the forecourt of Te Papa in Wellington, part of a bold new public artwork unveiled by capital-born artist Martin Basher.
Basher’s installation, Big Flowers for a Wild City, now occupies the four plinths marking the boundary between Te Papa and Wellington’s waterfront.
The work was commissioned by the Wellington Sculpture Trust through the Collin Post 4 Plinths Project Award, a $50,000 prize supporting temporary large-scale sculpture.
Standing seven metres tall, the floral forms are designed to command the plaza ‒ glossy, brightly pigmented sculptures rising against the museum’s concrete façade and the surrounding cityscape.
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Basher said the work was intended to meet the scale and energy of its setting.
“The four seven-metre floral arrangements will sit in their plinth ‘vases,’ owning this monumental plaza. The low-relief sculptures with their high gloss, pearlescent and day-glow pigments will rise up against the thrumming city back-drop. Constructed of steel and wood, the work will be a thrilling pop of colour against the muted hues of Te Papa and its surrounding buildings.
“Their height will vie with the scale of the surrounding architecture and punch out against the skyline, bounding the entrance to Te Papa with a scale and ambition befitting the setting,” he said.
For Basher, who was born and raised in Wellington but has spent the past 25 years building a career in New York, the commission marks his largest public artwork to date.
Chairperson of the Wellington Sculpture Trust, Jane Black, said the organisation was thrilled to see the project realised.
“It’s going to be thrilling to have this work in such an important location in the city.”
A graduate of Columbia University’s Master of Fine Arts programme in New York, Basher has exhibited widely internationally. Though primarily known as a painter, he has also created public sculptures, including a major commission for the Public Art Fund, New York’s leading presenter of public art.
He has held residencies including the La Brea Residency in Los Angeles, the McCahon Residency in Auckland, the AAI residency in New York and the Susan Goodman Residency in Berlin. His work appears in numerous public and private collections in both the United States and New Zealand.
Big Flowers for a Wild City is the latest installation in the four plinths programme, which commissions temporary artworks for the site. The project marks the 20th year since the trust established the award.
It is also the third commission delivered through a partnership with the Post family, honouring the legacy of Collin Post ‒ a long-time supporter of the trust and arts and culture in Wellington.
Black said the trust hopes the award continues to grow in stature across the region.
“The trust’s ambition for the award is for it to be recognised as the premiere temporary sculpture award in Australasia. The selection of Martin’s work for 2026 … helps us to cement the award’s reputation and deliver on this goal.”