Since the early 2000s, Sara Hughes has been developing an artistic language defined by geometric precision, vibrant colour, and a masterful sense of composition. Her work spans intimate canvases, immersive installations, and monumental public artworks, always balancing conceptual rigour with a sensitivity to light, rhythm, and spatial experience. Hughes’ practice reflects on time, light, and the cyclical patterns of the natural world, layering colour and form to evoke movement, energy, and the quiet dynamics of living systems.
Her latest project, Iwi Rau, on the now open New Zealand International Convention Centre is a culmination of this vision. Across 198 nine-metre glass fins and 277 large flat panels, Hughes reconstructs the forest canopy with painterly sensibility, layering colour and transparency to capture shifting light and subtle rhythms. Viewed from different angles, the work reveals new details with every glance, while integrated lighting at night animates the forms, creating a living tapestry where colour, light, and movement converge.
Alongside Hughes’ installation, Peata Larkin Pekerangi contributes A Wall of Embrace, a work that complements Iwi Rau with its own exploration of connection and presence. Her piece extends the dialogue between space, form, and human experience, adding depth and resonance to the NZICC environment.
Named through consultation with Ngāti Whātua kaumātua Tautoko Witika, Iwi Rau embodies Hughes’ ongoing exploration of connection, movement, and the quiet intelligence of natural systems. It invites visitors to engage with her work on multiple levels, seeing, moving, and feeling the forest pulse within the space.
Watch the video below to learn more about the artworks.
