Taika Waititi puts Zeekr 7X in the spotlight for Auckland exhibition

A car’s headlights might seem an unlikely starting point for a photography exhibition, but that’s exactly what Taika Waititi has used for his latest creative project with electric vehicle maker Zeekr.

The New Zealand filmmaker’s debut photography exhibition, Spotlight, opens at Studio 230 in Ponsonby, Auckland, on 17 September. Entry is free, with the exhibition running until 20 September.

The collection features seven staged scenes, all illuminated solely by the headlights of a Zeekr 7X. Getting the light in the right place required an unusual setup: the electric SUV was suspended from the ceiling at Studio West, the Auckland production facility Waititi co-owns.

Waititi and his creative team physically built each scene, using the car’s headlights to determine what appeared in the frame.

The resulting images range from an alien encounter and a caveman discovering something unfamiliar to a warehouse disco, an inflatable bodybuilder, an elaborate feast and a swarm of paparazzi. A sunburnt couple rounds out the collection.

“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.

For Zeekr, the collaboration provides another way to introduce its 7X to New Zealand audiences, placing the electric SUV in a creative setting beyond the usual showroom display.

NordEast Group general manager Dane Fisher says the vehicle played a practical role in producing the work.

“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.

Zeekr Australia and New Zealand managing director Frank Li says Waititi’s connection with audiences on both sides of the Tasman was part of the appeal of the partnership.

Anyone unable to attend the Auckland exhibition will be able to view the photographs online at zeekrbytaika.com from 21 September.