The long and intriguing story of the origine of the indigenous Maori people can be traced back to the 13th century, the mythical homeland Hawaiki, Eastern Polynesia. Due to centuries of isolation, the Maori established a distinct society with characteristic art, a separate language and unique mythology. Defining aspects of Maori traditional culture include art, dance, legends, tattoos and community. While the arrival of European colonists in the 18th centure had a profound impact on the Maori way of life, many aspects of traditional society have survived into the 21th century.

Sculptor Ben Young (previously) just unveiled a collection of new glass sculptures prior to the Sculpture Objects Functional Art + Design (SOFA) Fair in Chicago next month. Young works with laminated clear float glass atop cast concrete bases to create cross-section views of ocean waves that look somewhat like patterns in topographical charts. The self-taught artist is currently based in Sydney but was raised in Waihi Beach, New Zealand, where the local landscape and surroundings greatly inspired his art.

Workers carve ice art works at Harbin Ice and Snow World one day before the 32th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin city, China's northern Heilongjiang province, 04 January 2016. The festival will run from 05 January to 05 February. (Photo by Wu Hong/EPA)

Like a scene from a fantasy movie, a dilapidated room that appears to have been literally ripped out of a building remains suspended in mid air above Nantes, France. Its walls were torn apart, revealing bricks below the plaster, and wood floors reveal the joists inside. The floating room is accessible via a ladder. The gravity defying surreal installation is the work of Argentinean artist Leandro Erlich. The large-scale piece, called “Monte-meubles – L’ultime déménagement” (literally - The Furniture Lift – The Ultimate Moving Out), was created for the biannual Le Voyage a Nantes, an art festival which turns the entire French city into an art gallery.

Ireland's Philip Mulpeter, left, is kicked by Brazilian Vitor Nobrega during their welterweight mixed martial arts bout of International Pro Combat at the Estoril Casino in Estoril, near Lisbon, Portugal, Monday, January 26, 2015. Nobrega defeated Mulpeter. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AP Photo)

For her series “Dolce Vita in Hell”, Swiss photojournalist Stéphanie Buret headed to Eritrea and found a country struggling to haul itself out of oppression – but with its art deco buildings still looking stunning. (Photo by Stéphanie Buret/The Guardian)

Lulu, her Playa name, falls into a foam pit as approximately 70,000 people from all over the world gather for the 30th annual Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, U.S. September 1, 2016. (Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

Art photography gallery Lumas has opened its doors to “Masterpieces of Fashion Photography” exhibition at its London flagship space, showcasing previously unreleased images by legends such as Horst P. Horst, Edward Steichen, Bert Stern and Arthur Elgort. Here: Darryl Hannah on elephant, 1992. (Photo by Michel Comte/Vogue Archive Collection)