HERITAGE 2013
Gallery 1.1 (The Fairfax Gallery)
This installation of 99 replicas of animals from
around the world, gathered together to drink from
a single waterhole, is based on an image that came
to Cai Guo-Qiang after visiting North Stradbroke
Island (Minjerribah), off the coast of Brisbane.
This pristine environment embodies Cai’s perception
of a ‘last paradise’, far from the cares and conflicts
of the rest of the world, and his utopian vision is
conveyed with an almost reverential solemnity.
The allegorical nature of this work is heightened
by Cai’s play with realism, with the animals’ sizes
and forms slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect.
The number of animals is also symbolic: nine and
99 recur frequently in Cai’s work. Nine represents
‘long‑lasting’ in Chinese numerology, while 99
suggests for the artist something that is not
quite complete, providing a sense of insufficiency
and expectation.
Although
Heritage
is inspired by the Queensland
landscape, it also references wider themes
considering the state of the natural world at this
moment in history. It provides a focus for the
exhibition’s exploration of humanity’s connection
with nature, and was acquired for the Gallery’s
Collection with the support of the Josephine Ulrick
and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation.
Like the single drip that breaks the surface of the
water and interrupts the stillness of the room,
Cai raises questions that activate this strange and
peaceful tableau: what brought this menagerie
together, and how can the predators and prey in
this gathering relate to each other? If
Heritage
portrays the ‘perfect paradise’, does it also
symbolise Earth’s sorrow?
EUCALYPTUS 2013
Gallery 1.2
For this work, a magnificent native eucalypt,
which was earmarked for clearing for an urban
community development, has been relocated
into the Gallery to create a contemplative and
immersive environment. Cai invites viewers to look
closely at the tree: to ponder its varied and changing
colours, shapes and textures, and to imagine its
past and to make proposals for its future, which
can be shared via the accompanying interactive.
The cycle of life and the passage of time that the
tree represents echo other natural rhythms: how we
all grow and age, and how every action provides a
reaction or effect. Through this work, Cai presents
an unfinished process of creative possibility, while
expressing that all human activity – from building
a home to making an artwork – can influence and
place varying degrees of stress on our environment
and the natural world.
The eucalypt is a symbol of the Australian
landscape; its tough, resilient form embodies
the character of the country. Cai was inspired to
create this work after visiting Lamington National
Park in the Gold Coast hinterland, in particular
after encountering the soaring Antarctic beeches,
some of the oldest trees in the world. By placing a
tree into a gallery space, Cai references the Chinese
literati (scholarly) tradition in which artists and
poets would commune with nature to gain their
moral and spiritual bearings, and represent the
landscape as a reflection of their experiences and
values. By bringing us into close contact with this
particular tree, Cai hopes that we are able to see
it in a new way.
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