Gratuitous shot of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice -
for all we honest ladies who 'fessed up on my previous post...
Brad and Angelina spent the holidays at a coastal location south of Brisbane.
With their six children, they have been seen out and about, and one night they made a special visit to our own Gallery of Modern Art.
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I hope the kids enjoyed the animals in Falling Back to Earth, an exhibition of work by Cai Guo-Qiang.
I showed 'Heritage' in a previous post, with the animals around the lake.
More complex, I think, is 'Head on', 2006, made for the Deutsche Guggenheim exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
A pack of ninety-nine wolves rush across the gallery, leaping up and smashing into a transparent wall.
The work recalls Berlin's history of Nazism and the subsequent construction and destruction of the Berlin Wall. The glass wall is the same height as the Berlin Wall. Cai also responds to post-9/11 concerns about terrorism, devastation and tragedy.
Universal anxieties of invasion and contagion, border control and fear of outsiders are notions that continue to persist across national and cultural borders.
There are 99 animals at peace in 'Heritage', and 99 wolves in a state of agitation in 'Head on' - a classic 'compare and contrast'.
A third large-scale work separates the two - Eucalyptus 2013..
A 31 metre tree, cleared from an urban development site in outer Brisbane, lies with roots exposed:
A meditation on life and death? The tree was 100 years old...
An unusual chance to peek into a large tree's root system, something normally hidden in the earth...
An opportunity to ponder the beauty of the Spotted Gum (Corymbia maculata)..
Cai asks for visitors' suggestions as to what happens to the tree after the exhibition. He sees this participation as part of the artwork.
Pondering....
The heatwave continues, but as I have written this post, the skies have darkened, and I just heard a roll of thunder...
Over and out..
xxx
I got so caught up in talking about your heat wave in your last post I forgot to leave a Colin Firth comment. That oversight needs to be corrected. Thanks for posting the gratuitous picture. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Kristie, correction noted - he he he :-)
DeleteWow! wish I could see that wolf sculpture. I do plan to go back to Berlin before too long and I wonder when it will be back home? do you know?
ReplyDeleteIt looks just sensational. Thanks for posting this Patricia.
Jenny Woolf, of course you must see these wolves! The exhibition is in Brisbane until mid-May but I don't know where it goes next. 'Head On' is part of the Deutsche Bank Collection, and before it came to Brisbane had been in storage in Singapore. If I find out more, I'll let you know.
DeleteI enjoy seeing the museum exhibits, which your blog introduced me to. What do you use for your pictures, Patricia? They are so vivid.
ReplyDeleteThe Jolie-Pitt family are so photogenic.
In a previous post, you mention detoxing from Christmas exesses. I'm afraid, I'm still eating a bit of chocolate, both dark and the not so healthy or gourmet, i.e. M&Ms with peanuts. I can't say, I gained any weight over the holiday, but I can't say that I lost any either.
We are bracing for Artic-cold temperatures here that will last for a few days. So no one in either hemisphere is happy with the weather, it seems.
Hi Debra, my camera is a Sony cyber-shot, which does lots of tricks but I am not really using it to its full potential. Some photos are taken on my iPhone 5 which takes quite good pictures too. I am noticing reports on your cold weather - not good! Like you, didn't gain but didn't lose over Christmas. I think we are both pretty good, don't you?
DeleteBonne Annee' Patricia, I hope you are managing to stay cool in the Queensland heat. Cheers- Shell A Darlings Nest
ReplyDeleteBonne Annee, dear Shell. Staying cool is a struggle this week. Tempted to jump on a plane and go to Sydney for a bit :)
DeletePatricia,
ReplyDeleteThis is an exhibit that I'd really like to see. It looks very interesting to me. I have always liked Brad Pitt. The first time I saw him was in a small part in Thelma and Louise. Ever since then, I was hooked haha.
It's already January! Have a good week.
Love,
~Sheri
I remember Brad in Thelma and Louise, Sheri. He's come a long way since then! The family had quite a laid-back holiday in our area since Christmas, going to all the local tourist spots. Brad went back to the US on Monday, I believe. Angelina is directing a movie in Australia and will be here for a few more weeks. Yes, January already and a new year is upon us. Must get organised! xx
DeleteWhat a lovely photo of my favorite guy. :) I saw something else about this exhibit recently and it really looks fascinating. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNow you are being tricky, Jennifer - there are two favorite guys in this post :)) The animal sculptures are getting lots of visitors and attention over the holidays. I want to take my grandson to see the animals around the lake, as I think he would really like it.
DeleteSuch a fascinating exhibit, no wonder the celebs wanted to see it. I liked looking at the tree root but have no ideas for its use after the exhibit. It almost looks like sculpture though.
ReplyDeleteDarla
It does look like sculpture Darla - I had another look at it today. I can't imagine what they can do with it, other than cut it up, unless the whole tree is placed in a park as sculpture - but then it would deteriorate. I'll keep checking up on the story.
DeleteI don't really know Colin F in all honesty, but he does look pretty nice! As for Brad....well, he's aging well considering he's got, what is it seven children?? Wow! I love the other images in this post, what incredible compositions....I hope you got your anticipated storm...they are wonderful after a long spell of heat, aren't they? I remember that so well from my SA days xx
ReplyDeleteColin Firth, British actor, starred in TV series of Pride and Prejudice and a whole generation of women became besotted when he went swimming in a lake, Val :) The storm turned out to be a monster with thousands of lightning flashes, much power outage, high winds and some damage. It was a bit nerve-wracking!
DeleteWhat an interesting and unusual display -- the wolves. I've never seen anything quite like it. So realistic looking. You do get interesting exhibitions at your gallery; lucky you! Wishing you cooler temps.
ReplyDeleteThe wolves are certainly unusual, Sanda. Yesterday I was there and heard a visitor say (to her children) it was like the Night before Christmas - Santa's reindeer flying! And she is right, it does look like that, until you look at the crash landing. Cooler today, Goody :)
DeleteI have always loved Eucalyptus - perfect art piece from nature.
ReplyDeleteI think you would like the tree Beryl - I had another look at the roots, and they are wonderful natural sculpture!
DeleteAmazing exhibition - thank you for taking us there Patricia.
ReplyDeleteI see the Nazism link - horrific. Amazing interpretation by Cai Guo-Qiang.
How long is it on for?
Stay cool Patricia and keep the fluids up!
Hugs
Shane
Drinking water as I type, Shane - Essential! Cai Guo Qiang is on until May 2014, quite a long run. There are less horrid interpretations - I heard a mother showing her children this week, explaining it looked like the Night Before Christmas, with the reindeer flying up into the sky! I don't know how she explained the crash down at the other end of the room, though :)
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