What the Birds Knew
When
03 August 2012 -
03 November 2012
Location
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
181-187 Hay St, Haymarket
Exhibition Opening:
Thursday 9 August 2012
6–8pm
What the Birds Knew features new large-scale works by internationally renowned Australian artists Ken + Julia Yonetani.
What the Birds Knew includes new sculptural works made from radioactive uranium glass. A 6-metre long green ant will threateningly loom over visitors to the gallery, and a large scale chandelier will be visible 24 hours a day. The use of UV lights will make the uranium glow green, giving the works an ominous energy.
These new visually stunning and highly provocative works arise out of the artists’ concerns over the recent nuclear tragedy in Fukushima. The title of the exhibition refers to the alternative title for Akira Kurosawa’s 1955 post-war film I Live in Fear, in which the central character declares that the birds would flee if they knew of the impending environmental threats.
What the Birds Knew reflects shared cultural expressions of environmental anxieties within Indigenous Australian and Japanese culture, and whether these function as either warnings or premonitions.
Access the Media Release here.
Access the Media Release (Chinese) here.
Video Interviews
Media Coverage
Sydney Morning Herald/Sun Herald by Andrew Taylor
The Diary, Sydney Morning Herald by Scott Ellis
Metro, Sydney Morning Herald by Andrew Frost
The Australian by Bridget Cormack
Time Out Sydney, Critics Pick by Darryn King
the art life blog by Carrie Miller
Australia Council Artery Blog by Alex Bellemore
The Thousands by Bethany Small
Concrete Playground by Zacha Rosen
Artists
Events
4A and Eat. Drink. Give. invites you to The Art of Taste 2
Fundraising
Thursday, 1 November 2012, 7:30am
More info
Special Screening of Akira Kurosawa’s, 1955 post-war film, I Live in Fear
Screening
Thursday, 18 October 2012, 7:00am
More infoWhat the Birds Knew is supported by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.
The artists are supported by The NSW Artists’ Grant. The NSW Artists’ Grant is a NAVA initiative, made possible through the support of Arts NSW and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.
