Artist in Residence: Shannon Novak
Commercial Bay’s Artist in Residence series brings contemporary work into everyday public space. These installations sit within the natural flow of the precinct, inviting visitors to pause and consider the stories held in the environment around them.
In 2026, we present Reinstatement by Shannon Novak. The work marks forty years since the Homosexual Law Reform Act came into effect in Aotearoa New Zealand and acknowledges a pivotal moment in the country’s legal and social history.
Reinstatement
What survived did so without permission
2026 marks four decades since the Homosexual Law Reform Act decriminalised consensual sexual activity between men aged 16 and over. The Act followed years of activism and public debate and signalled a significant shift in New Zealand’s legal landscape. While it did not remove all discrimination, it ended criminal penalties and laid the groundwork for future change for LGBTQI+ communities.
To acknowledge this milestone, Precinct Properties commissioned Shannon Novak to create a series of ten artworks across multiple sites. Using colour, light, and geometric form, the works reflect on the significance of the Act and the lives shaped by the years before, during, and after its passing.
Each artwork title was developed in consultation with local LGBTQI+ communities. Together, the titles form a poem. The line presented at Commercial Bay reads: Reinstatement — What survived did so without permission.
Novak frames the Act as a reinstatement rather than the granting of a new freedom. Same-sex intimacy was not inherently criminal. It became so through British colonial law and imposed moral frameworks. The 1986 reform restored a legal condition that had been removed.
Reinstatement reflects on this historical correction while recognising that the effects of criminalisation continue to shape queer lives beyond the moment of legal change. Installed in a shared public space, the work prompts consideration of how law, history, and lived experience intersect.
About Shannon Novak
Shannon Novak’s practice focuses on creating work that supports and protects queer communities. Through painting, photography, installation, sculpture, and curatorial projects, he builds spaces that recognise queer experience and challenge the structures that restrict it.
His work spans galleries and public spaces internationally and is grounded in care, collaboration, and queer activism. Novak is the founder of the Safe Space Alliance, a global LGBTQI+ led nonprofit organisation that helps people identify and create safe spaces. Participating institutions include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, MCA Denver, the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Remai Modern, and the Museum of London. He also founded Velebit, a project focused on safety in relation to emerging technologies.
Novak has presented work at major institutions including Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Ningbo Museum of Art, Stanford University, and the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. He holds qualifications in information systems, education, and fine arts, and continues to undertake public commissions across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
If you need support, you’re not alone. Confidential help for LGBTQI+ people in Aotearoa New Zealand is available through OUTLine on 0800 688 5463 (available every evening, 6-9PM), RainbowYOUTH, or you call or text 1737 (available 24/7).
