Meet Lisa Watkins
Lisa Watkins is a contemporary New Zealand artist working under the name MyShinyMadness. Through a practice she calls Circular Elevation, she transforms storied and overlooked materials into artworks exploring colour, wonder, connection, and possibility.
Her work is driven by a belief that value often exists in places we are taught to overlook. Working across sculpture, assemblage, installation, and public art, she creates moments of lightness and emotional connection that invite viewers to step outside the noise of everyday life and imagine new possibilities.
For Watkins, transformation is both material and human. Through colour, beauty, and curiosity, her work seeks to create order within chaos while celebrating the potential for overlooked objects, experiences, and people to be seen differently.
The Art of Possibilities
My work exists because I need to find order in the chaos.
I've always been drawn to people, moments, and possibilities. Perhaps that's why I became an artist.
Creating art is how I make sense of things. It's how I find connection, wonder, and meaning when life becomes a little too loud.
Through colour, curiosity, and transformation, I create artworks that invite people to pause, look a little closer, and find a moment away from whatever it is they have to carry.
I believe beauty, meaning, and possibility often exist where we least expect to find them.
If a piece makes you smile, sparks a memory, starts a conversation, or simply brings a little more joy into your day, then it has done its job.
And if something here speaks to you, perhaps it was meant to find you.— Lisa
Selected Recognition
• Waitākere Arts Awards 2026 – First Place (Assemblage)
• Localised Sustainability Award 2025 – Ultimate Winner
• CREA Open 2026 – Special Mention for Artistic Research
• Auckland Art Show 2026 – Selected Artist
• Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) Active Member
Major Projects
From intimate collector works to large-scale public installations, my practice explores colour, wonder, connection, and possibility through contemporary sculpture and assemblage.
Major projects include Te Moko Kākāriki (Boot Gecko), alongside artworks and installations that transform storied materials into opportunities for connection, conversation, and new ways of seeing the world around us.
Exhibitions & Media
My work has been exhibited throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and featured in galleries, public spaces, community projects, and media publications. From award-winning assemblage works to large-scale installations, each project contributes to an evolving conversation around transformation, possibility, and contemporary material practice.
Commissions & Collaborations
I work with collectors, businesses, councils, community organisations, and design professionals to create bespoke artworks, installations, and public art projects.
Whether you're seeking a statement artwork for your home, a commissioned piece for a commercial environment, or a large-scale public project, I'd love to hear from you.
