From the Director - April 2025

Hello Everyone,

We're so excited to have Patricia Piccinini's Skywhales Across Australia coming to the Sunshine Coast. Two airborne artworks, Skywhale and Skywhalepapa, will be floating above Sippy Downs on the opening weekend of Horizon - 4 May, arising skywards at sunrise! The exact time and location will be confirmed closer to the date, so keep your eye on the Horizon website for updates.

You may already be familiar with Patricia Piccinini, as she is a celebrated Australian artist. She has been exploring the frontiers of science and technology through sculpture, photography, video and installation since the 1990s. Piccinini has pursued an interest in the human form, and its manipulation and enhancement, particularly through biotechnological intervention. Her practice references the ongoing discussions about genome mapping and creating of species and the ethics surrounding these. Think back to moments in history like Dolly the sheep, who was the first mammal to be cloned. And who can ever forget that image of the Vacanti mouse, with a "human ear" growing on its back.

Piccinini works with ideas of genetic manipulation, the possibilities, the scientific progress and the ethical questions raised. Her sculptures combine the grotesque with an intimate tenderness and curiosity. She leaves the audience with a lot to think about.

Piccinini's Skywhales are amazing. Her first iteration, Skywhale, was commissioned in 2013 by the National Gallery of Australia. Skywhalepapa followed in 2019-20, and they have both toured the country. Skywales Across Australia is a National Gallery Touring Event, supported by the Australian Government through Visions Australia and the National Collecting Institutions Touring Outreach Program.

This event will be a highlight of the Horizon festival program. The two sculptures will be flown up and floated in the air above us. They represent the idea of nature, family, evolution, care and wonder. It's a rare opportunity to see them floating overhead. Due to the coastal weather conditions, they may be teathered or they may be flying loose. That will depend on the conditions of the day.

Piccinini designed the original Skywhale with the idea of Mother Nature in mind. An ideal form that floats in and then out of our sight. It's very ephemeral. It stays for a blink of an eye and then moves on. Piccinini has lots of ideas about what Skywhale might be and how she might come into our lives, but Piccinini doesn't want to create an official narrative around it.

For me, Skywhale is this extraordinary sculpture/beast that floats through the air. It is about nurturing and motherhood; there for a brief, brief moment and before disappearing. Skywhale also reminds me, funnily enough, of the British comedy group Monty Python. Terry Gilliam, who made the iconic collaged animations for the show Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-74), often created these funny balloon-like creatures that would float off into the sky during the ad breaks or changing of skits. I remember seeing that as a young person and thinking, "Oh my god, that's amazing. How hilarious." It's so surreal and out of context, and so completely different that it's both shocking and amazing. It fills you with wonder, and I think that's what people will be feeling when they look up to the skies as Skywhales Across Australia is launched.

View event details

View festival program

Look forward to seeing you in the gallery and at Horizon… and don't forget to look skywards on 4 May!

Jo Duke
Gallery Director