The bold new Courtenay Place lightbox exhibition

Wellington City Council is proud to present this project in partnership with City Galley Wellington, as part of its ongoing commitment to bringing art to the public while the gallery building is temporarily closed.

Through this project, the Council aims to amplify the voices and perspectives of rangatahi and takatāpui, and foster inclusive and engaged communities through diverse artistic expression. 

HYPERBALLAD reimagines the classical myth of Narcissus through the lens of internet culture, social media performance, and pop music.  

The work consists of still images from video performances shot in Fourie’s studio using everyday objects such as hammers, scissors, bananas, wine bottles, and coffee jars — as makeshift microphones for impassioned karaoke-style performances. 

These moments of raw emotion, self-exploration, and playful theatrics are frozen in time, displayed across the eight lightboxes lining Courtenay Place. 

Through these images, Fourie takes on various personas — the jester, the pop star, the attention-seeker — each grappling with the desire for connection and validation in the digital age. The exhibition transforms private moments of self-expression into a public spectacle, amplifying the tensions between performance and authenticity, vulnerability and bravado. 

The location of the exhibition adds another layer of meaning. Courtenay Place, known for its nightlife and entertainment scene, is a place where people go to see and be seen, to celebrate, to escape, and to perform versions of themselves.  

Fourie’s larger-than-life figures, caught mid-performance, hold the gaze of passersby, mirroring and questioning the ways we engage with both physical and digital audiences. 

Beyond the lightboxes, HYPERBALLAD will also feature as a video on the Masons Screen, another public art project by CIRCUIT Artist Moving Image, supported by Wellington City Council.  

Additionally, a version of HYPERBALLAD is also included in The Brood, a horror-themed exhibition at The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt, curated by Chelsea Nichols and Aaron Lister. For this iteration, Fourie has drawn inspiration from classic horror cinema, even acquiring distinctive new tattoos as part of their artistic process. 

By bringing their deeply personal yet universally resonant work into these public spaces, Fourie creates an experience that invites connection, reflection, and dialogue. 

HYPERBALLAD is a powerful exploration of identity, performance, and the ways we seek and share love in the digital era.