Meet Bee-casso: an interview with artist Lily Warring

This September, Hauora is proud to support Bee in the City, a new public art trail bringing giant bee sculptures to the streets of Wellington in support of Life Flight. Among the participating artists is Dunedin-based illustrator and graphic designer Lily Warring (@hellolilyjo), whose sculpture, Bee-casso, takes inspiration from one of the world's most recognisable artists and gives the concept a distinctly Wellington twist.

Inspired by Lily's love of puns, fine art and art history, Bee-casso is a joyful celebration of colour, creativity and the character of our city. We caught up with Lily to find out more about her creative practice, the inspiration behind the sculpture, and what it was like to put her digital illustration skills to the test on a three-dimensional work of public art.

Hauora: Tell us a little about yourself.
Lily Warring: I am an illustrator and graphic designer based in Dunedin. I live in a little worker's cottage in Kaikorai Valley; where I spend my days creating and walking the hills with my scruffy dog.

H: What is your usual creative outlet or medium?
LW: My most common creative outlet is digital illustration. I use my iPad and Procreate to often draw commissions of family portraits or characters for my work at the Dunedin City Council. But I also like to experiment in my creativity so you'll sometimes find me building ceramics, taking photos and sewing embroidery. 

H: What inspired you to become an artist for Bee in the City?
LW: In 2019 I was selected as an artist for a Wild in Art trail in Scotland, when I was living in Glasgow. It was for the Oor Willie Big Bucket trail. I had a lot of fun painting and exploring the trail between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee. So of course when I saw the call out for artists on a New Zealand trail – I had to apply!

H: What inspired the design of Bee-casso?
LW: The Bee-casso concept came about through a combination of my love of puns and my love of fine art/art history. When I realised the pun, I just knew I had to create a Wellingtonised version of a Picasso painting. 

H: What was it like translating your creative style onto such a large and unusual canvas?
LW: Normally, when I work on my iPad, I have the capability to be very precise and undo mistakes with the click of a button. The process of transferring a digital concept onto a physical sculpture was an interesting challenge because I had to consider not only the way it wrapped around the 3D body but how long it would take to complete it. I can be fairly spontaneous when I paint so there were a few days where I was just tidying sections that I had free-handed a bit too much and there were so many layers of paint that I didn't factor in!

H: What do you hope people feel when they encounter Bee-casso in the city?
LW: I really wanted Picasso to be full of colour and full of life - just like Wellington - so I hope that the people who see it feel the sense of excitement that a creative city can bring, or perhaps a feeling of passion and pride for Wellington itself. 

H: What does being part of Bee in the City mean to you?
LW: Being part of Bee in the City was such a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed the opportunity to paint alongside a community of local artists that I had never met before. It's an experience that feels just a step outside of everyday life which makes it even more fun. I'm also a huge advocate for bringing art and play into the urban streets! 

Find Lily’s colourful contribution to Bee in the City at Wellington Central Train Station from 14 September to 18 October.

Enter our Bee-casso Wellness Pack prize draw

To celebrate Bee in the City Wellington, we’re giving you the chance to win one of two Hauora Wellness Packs, valued at $120 each, every week throughout the trail. With weekly draws running from 14 September to 8 November, you’ll have multiple chances to win.

To enter:

• Snap a photo with the Hauora-sponsored Bee-Casso sculpture
• Follow Hauora on Instagram (@hauora.nzl), Facebook, or Xiaohongshu
• Share your photo, tag Hauora, and use #hauorabee2026
• Alternatively, enter by sending us your photo here.