Filmmaker Taika Waititi’s collab with Zeekr NZ

News

Sep 17

NZ filmmaker Taika Waititi with the Zeekr 7X. Photos: Zeekr NZ

Acclaimed Kiwi filmmaker Taika Waititi has debuted his photography exhibition, Spotlight, a collaboration with Zeekr, which is now open to the public in Auckland.

Spotlight reveals seven cinematic worlds with the headlights of the Zeekr 7X as the sole source of light. The exhibition is built on the notion that the best ideas rarely announce themselves, but can arrive uninvited and unexpected.

Across the seven images, Waititi's world takes on a distinctly different shape each time, from an alien visitation, to a warehouse rave, a bodybuilder mid-pose, a table set for a feast, a red-carpet swarm, and two diners entirely unbothered by any of it.

Waititi created the exhibition Spotlight.

For Waititi, having only the headlights of the Zeekr 7X to light each scene brought a unique take to the photographic process.

"The best bit about these images is we composed each scene without much at all – the spotlight, the car and single frames. From an alien abduction, to inflatable bodybuilder companion, to sunburnt couple on the beach, it was all lit the same simple way. It forced me to be specific and single-minded about each scene," says Waititi.

Frank Li, Managing Director of Zeekr Australia and New Zealand, says the collaboration reflects Zeekr's TransTasman ambition.

Zeekr’s Frank Li, Waititi and Dane Fisher.

"Taika is one of the most influential creative voices to emerge from New Zealand, with a body of work that resonates globally and a strong connection to audiences across both New Zealand and Australia. The collaboration reflects the confidence and ambition that sit at the heart of the Zeekr brand and demonstrates our commitment to doing things differently,” says Li.

NordEast Group General Manager Dane Fisher says Zeekr wanted a different way to introduce the 7X to a New Zealand audience.

"What I love about this project is the Zeekr 7X isn't just featured in the work; it's responsible for it. Taika has taken the vehicle’s most fundamental feature, its light, and used it to create seven completely original worlds. The result is unexpected, thought-provoking and distinctly Zeekr,” says Fisher.