ART
WHAT’S UP, WABBIT?
Giant bunny rabbits are about to invade Houston. Yes, you read that right. Intrude, an installation piece by Australian artist AMANDA PARER that includes seven glowing bunny rabbits all scaling
30 feet or taller, will temporarily call Houston its home.
Arts Brookfield, part of real-estate corporation Brookfield, commissioned two new super-sized rabbits in addition to the original five as part of a multi-city tour hosted at the company’s properties.
The bunnies will be on display at the company’s downtown Houston site from May 9–14. In addition to Houston, Parer and her rabbits will travel to San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and
Denver. DEBRA SIMON, the artistic director for Arts Brookfield, said that although this isn’t the first
large-scale presentation the company has hosted, Intrude is a much bolder step. “We wanted to
do something sort of unexpected and delightful,” Simon said. “When we discovered Amanda’s
work we thought that this is really something that fits the scale of what we are trying to do. We
want to show our commitment to the arts in a big way, and this is definitely a very powerful and
visible way for us to do that.”
Also unexpected is the meaning behind the giant bunnies. Australia has experienced severe ecological damage due to the mismanagement of the rabbit population since they were brought into
the country in the late 18th century. They may be cute, but Parer said they are a real issue that her
country has been quietly battling for the last 200 years. “In my work the rabbit represents us and
our effect on the environment globally,” Parer said. “They are like the huge elephant in the room.
So just like the issues they represent, they are big and can’t be ignored.”
“I have this vision of people driving down the street and doubling back because they can’t believe
what they are seeing,” Simon said. “I think it’s going to be fantastic.”
By Erika Forero
Photography Courtesy of Arts Brookfield
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| may 16