X Wendy Hannah

X Wendy Hannah, Light Weaver ( Ngati Awa, Te Arawa), is known for her vibrant, reflective sculptural forms. Her beacons of light celebrate what is possible when an artist has an unbridled love of colour, light, and play. She is also committed to bringing modern innovation to time-honoured processes.
6. Te Muramura o te Wairua (The Radiance of the Spirit), 2025, Aluminium, mirrored & clear acrylic, builder's line, led lighting, 600 x 1200 x 150mm, $17,500

X's practice is founded on storytelling, inspired by Māori tradition of using the kowhiti (cross-stitch) to record histories and knowledge without a written language. The X mark becomes the first gesture of connection, symbolizing the beginning of every narrative. Through light, material, and form, X reinterprets these ancestral ideas into contemporary works that weave the past into the present, offering a vibrant, living continuum of story and spirit.
"Light remembers: to weave light and trust the wairua — the silent thread that connects earth to heaven and spirit to spirit."
"In the wairua, I trust the silent current that stretches from earth to the heavens — and weave its energy into light, reflection, and form. Using the builder's line as a physical thread within the infinity light box, I anchor light into the structure, weaving portals where spirit, memory, and the unseen converge. In this work, I invite the viewer to step beyond the surface into the infinite pulse that connects us all."