Down the rabbit hole
 | Last week, Fong and I visited the ‘White Rabbit’ gallery in Sydney…we are still digesting the incredible quality of the artworks and the vision of the collector.
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A note from the Director of White Rabbit Gallery
“Many people associate the name White Rabbit with serendipity and surprise. And the White Rabbit Collection did arise from a series of chance encounters. The first was in 1999, when I came across a wall sculpture by Wang Zhiyuan in the storeroom of a Sydney art gallery. It showed whimsical fusions of humans, animals and angels, and I was immediately struck by the artist’s inventiveness and technical mastery.
That discovery led to a meeting with Wang Zhiyuan, who became a family friend and regaled us with news of the exciting changes taking place in the Chinese art world. A few years later, as a surprise present, I took my younger daughter to China. We met up with Wang Zhiyuan, who had moved to Beijing and opened a studio.
That led to perhaps the biggest surprise of all—seeing the extraordinary art he had been raving about. The best of it had all the qualities that had made his work leap out at me. It was bursting with ideas and energy, vibrant, often humorous, imaginative, technically superb and utterly compelling. I was hooked, and wanted to start collecting at once.
The name for the White Rabbit Gallery, which the Neilson Foundation started building in 2008, popped into my head one day and just stuck. The establishment of the Gallery, though, was very deliberate. We wanted to share with Australians and the world the best of Chinese contemporary art since 2000—a turning point that I think of as the Big Bang. I hope all visitors to the Gallery will experience the surprise, delight and fascination that the White Rabbit Collection’s artists and their works have given the Neilson family.”
Judith Neilson, 2010
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4 comments:
I hope I pass the security check to get in but assuming I do . . . I am feeling so jealous as I sit in this cultural backwater.
That braided pony-tail is incredible and the wire frame motorcycle is amazing. I saw portraits in a gallery once that were in a similar style.
You guys look great! I have been thinking of giving a ringy dingy to catch up on all the news. Been in a smoke funk and we have been driving here and there around the Province trying to escape for a reprieve which is getting more and more difficult...I am thinking we might just have to get on a plane and fly down under to get some clean air!
Smoke funk? Hmm seems I've been in the rabbit hole too long; time to come up for a breath of fresh air. And as for a flying visit: come on down (flying visitors are welcome to Australia but Peter Rrrr Abbot says no to all boat people. See ya, I'm busy snipping little holes in the fence that some of the party faithful are building round our continent.
what a fabulous looking gallery.
Hope all is well with you, haven't seen you around for a while on the blogosphere.
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