Bunnies on the Green

Overview

Some very large white rabbits, illuminated in stark white light, have been invading festivals around the world and now they’re invading Charlotte! The bunnies of Intrude stand tall, yet relaxed, and appear to be quite at home in their new patch.

Why rabbits? Rabbits in artist Amanda Parer’s native Australia are an out of control pest, 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 rabbit is also an animal of contradiction. They represent the fairytale animals of our childhood – a furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image, and a strong visual humor to lure you into the artwork only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work. They are huge, the size referencing “the elephant in the room”, the problem, like our environmental impact, big but easily ignored.