Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Brett Stanley, Hannah in the Kelp, 2020, colour digital print. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), A Mermaid, 1900, reproduction of original oil painting in Royal Academy Collection, London, collection of Megan Dunn; Julia Holden, Megan Dunn, Mermaid (after J. W. Waterhouse), 2021, colour photograph, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), A Mermaid, 1900, reproduction of original oil painting in Royal Academy Collection, London, collection of Megan Dunn; Julia Holden, Megan Dunn, Mermaid (after J. W. Waterhouse), 2021, colour photograph, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs; Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Video still from Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs. Courtesy of the artist

Video still from Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs. Courtesy of the artist

Lena Maria Thüring, Garden de la Paix, 2011, HD video, single channel, 16:9, colour, sound, 18 mins 47 secs; Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Olivia Erlanger, Pergusa (Gris), 2022, silicone and paint, commercial washing machine. Courtesy of the artist and DM Office, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Coral, See Wees doll, 1979; Finella, See Wees baby doll, 1981; and See Wees carrying case with kissing fishes handle, 1980, both collection Megan Dunn and Fearne Crane. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Coral, See Wees doll, 1979; Finella, See Wees baby doll, 1981; and See Wees carrying case with kissing fishes handle, 1980, both collection Megan Dunn and Fearne Crane. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn; Finfolk Productions, ‘The Madison’, 2018, Neoprene tail, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Detail of Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah, 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Detail of Megan Dunn, This Can Be About Daryl Hannah , 2022, PowerPoint with mermaid paraphernalia including Smurfette figurine, mermaid mousepad, Daryl Hannah photo, Splash DVD, publications, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Detail of Finfolk Productions, ‘The Madison’, 2018, Neoprene tail, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Julie Atlas Muz, High Art at Low Tide, 2004, video, colour, sound, 3 mins 6 secs, directed by Matt Kalman, filmed at The Coral Room, New York. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Video still of Julie Atlas Muz, High Art at Low Tide, 2004, video, colour, sound, 3 mins 6 secs, directed by Matt Kalman, filmed at The Coral Room, New York. Courtesy of Julie Atlas Muz.

Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 37 sec. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Video still from MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 min 37 secs. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson

Video still from MeduSirena, The Wreck Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2021–22, video, colour, sound, 2 min 37 secs. Courtesy of Wendy Marina Anderson

Merman Jax, Odd Jobs: Merman, 2017, Episode 4, Crypt TV Facebook Series, video, colour, sound, 2 mins, 6 sec. Courtesy of Crypt TV and Jack Laflin. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Merman Jax, Odd Jobs: Merman, 2017, Episode 4, Crypt TV Facebook Series, video, colour, sound, 2 mins, 6 sec. Courtesy of Crypt TV and Jack Laflin.

Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Video still from Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser

Video still from Hannah Mermaid, Showreel, 2017, video, colour, sound, 6 mins 21 secs. Courtesy of Hannah Fraser

Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris

Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris

Video still from Suzanne Husky, On the Proliferation of Mermaids in the Time of Shipwrecks, 2017, video, colour, sound, 25 mins 35 secs. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Alain Gutharc Gallery, Paris

Alexis Hunter (1948–2014), The Lure of the Sea, 1988, oil on canvas, private collection, Auckland; Megan Dunn, I’ve Heard the Mermaids…, 2022, recorded sound, novelty telephone, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Megan Dunn, I’ve Heard the Mermaids…, 2022, recorded sound, novelty telephone, collection of Megan Dunn. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Alexis Hunter (1948–2014), The Lure of the Sea, 1988, oil on canvas, private collection, Auckland. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Annette Kellerman (1886–1975), Mermaid tail, 1906–40, cotton, diamantes (maker unknown);and, Wig, 1910–14 , human hair, net, made by George Anton, both Berlin Powerhouse Collection, Sydney, gift of the Dennis Wolanski Library, Sydney Opera House, 2000. Installation view of Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles at TePātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Andrew Brusso, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, 2014, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 45 secs. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker

Andrew Brusso, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, 2014, video, colour, sound, 2 mins 45 secs. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view, Megan Dunn: The Mermaid Chronicles, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, 2022. Photo: Ted Whitaker