Memphis Brooks Museum of Art brings giant rabbits to Overton Park for Brooks Outside exhibition

Australian artist Amanda Parer’s Intrude comes to Memphis in January 2017

MEMPHIS, Tenn., January 9, 2017 – Are rabbits environmentally destructive or the source of whimsy and delight? Amanda Parer’s public art installation, Intrude, brings both concepts to light in the spectacle-sized work that has traveled across North America. Intrude makes its next stop at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, where it will be on view January 18  – 29. Intrude, which has been seen on four continents, in over 50 cities by more than a million people, will be the second in the museum’s Brooks Outside public art series.

Intrude, on view on the Brooks’ grounds in Overton Park, will feature five giant, illuminated, inflated rabbits; the largest being over 23 feet tall. Created by Australian artist Amanda Parer (b. 1971), the installation’s initial appearance was at the 2014 Vivid Festival of Light in Sydney, Australia. Since then, Intrude has fascinated audiences around the world making stops in such places as the United Kingdom, France, Canada, the U.A.E., and South Korea.

“It is an honor to bring my work to Memphis—this city is a legend to me. I’d like to thank the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art for their enthusiasm and support and thank Memphis for all they’ve given me and the world,” said Parer. “I’m considering this showing of Intrude a cultural exchange and hope my giant glowing rabbits fill your city with wonder. My work and Memphis have one thing in common—there’s a lot to talk about lingering right below the surface!”

 The rabbit is an animal of contradiction. Rabbits, more affectionately referred to as bunnies, represent the fairytale animal from our childhood—a furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. However, rabbits in Parer’s native Australia are out of control pests, leaving a trail of ecological destruction wherever they go and defying attempts at eradication. First introduced by white settlers in 1788 they have caused a great imbalance to the country’s endemic species.

The artist has created the rabbits unrealistically huge not just for the captivating visual but because their size represents “the elephant in the room”—the large environmental issue caused by rabbits. Intrude deliberately evokes an image of innocence, and a strong visual humor. Parer says this is to lure audiences into the art and then reveal the more serious ecological message. Andria Lisle, the site curator for Brooks Outside: Intrude, feels that the temporary installation will work well at the Brooks’ location in Overton Park, which was designed by prominent landscape architect George Kessler as part of the Memphis Parks System in 1901.

”It’s important to our mission that the art installations presented by the Brooks captivate audiences visually but also be the impetus for critical thinking and learning about concepts and issues outside of our own culture and environment,” said the museum’s Executive Director Emily Ballew Neff. “We want people to come out and enjoy how adorable these bunnies are, but we also hope from an educational viewpoint, this installation will stimulate critical thinking about our ecology.”

In conjunction with Intrude, the Brooks will host a member reception on Wednesday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m. Brooks Films will underscore the rabbit theme with a series  of films featuring rabbits in various contexts. Ranging from horror to light-hearted to animated, the following films will continue the audience’s engagement with rabbits:

• Classic Film: Harvey, Saturday, January 21, 2 p.m.
• Classic Film: Night of the Lepus, Sunday, January 22, 2 p.m.
• Animated Film: Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, Saturday, January 28, 2 p.m.
• Classic Film: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Sunday, January 29, 2 p.m.

Other programs promoting interaction between exhibition visitors, including an Instagram contest, will be announced at brooksmuseum.org. Learn more about Intrude and the artist at amandaparer.com.

Brooks Outside:

The Brooks Outside series was launched by Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in 2016 as part of its centennial celebration. Brooks Outside brings art installations into public spaces allowing the community to engage with art beyond the walls of the museum. The initial installation was RedBall Project which allowed the Brooks to connect with audiences in familiar outdoor spaces around the city.

Mission:

Founded in 1916 and located at 1934 Poplar Ave. in historic Overton Park, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art  is home to Tennessee’s oldest and largest  major collection of world art.  More than 9,000 works make up the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection, including works from ancient Greece, Rome and the Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and a survey of African art. The Brooks Museum enriches the lives of our diverse community through the museum’s expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to the present. For more information about the Brooks and all other exhibitions and programs, call 901.544.6200 or visit www.brooksmuseum.org.