Patricia Piccinini’s curious hybrid creatures blend reality with fantasy
Patricia Piccinini, Australia b.1965 / The stags 2008 / Fibreglass, automotive paint, leather, steel, plastic, tyres / Two pieces: 177 x 183 x 102cm and 147 x 90 x 101cm; 196 x 224 x 167cm (installed, variable) / Purchased 2009 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S W King through the QAG Foundation and the Queensland Government's GOMA Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Patricia Piccinini / View full image
Australian artist Patricia Piccinini is well known for her bio-morphic sculptures, minutely detailed visions of imaginary creatures brought into the world through genetic engineering. She also has a keen interest in car culture, particularly customised vehicles, and this is also expressed in her art.
The stags 2008 represents two motor scooters as living animals, a complete synthesis of nature and technology. The sculpture refers specifically to the customised Vespas ridden by mods in the 1960s, often embellished with a profusion of mirrors. Like these customised vehicles, Piccinini’s scooters have taken on individual identities and are no longer factory-made 'clones'.
Patricia Piccinini, Australia b.1965 / The stags (detail) 2008 / Fibreglass, automotive paint, leather, steel, plastic, tyres / Two pieces: 177 x 183 x 102cm and 147 x 90 x 101cm; 196 x 224 x 167cm (installed, variable) / Purchased 2009 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S W King through the QAG Foundation and the Queensland Government's GOMA Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Patricia Piccinini / View full image
Patricia Piccinini, Australia b.1965 / The stags 2008 / Fibreglass, automotive paint, leather, steel, plastic, tyres / Two pieces: 177 x 183 x 102cm and 147 x 90 x 101cm; 196 x 224 x 167cm (installed, variable) / Purchased 2009 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S W King through the QAG Foundation and the Queensland Government's GOMA Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Patricia Piccinini / View full image
Patricia Piccinini, Australia b.1965 / The stags 2008 / Fibreglass, automotive paint, leather, steel, plastic, tyres / Two pieces: 177 x 183 x 102cm and 147 x 90 x 101cm; 196 x 224 x 167cm (installed, variable) / Purchased 2009 with funds from the Estate of Lawrence F King in memory of the late Mr and Mrs S W King through the QAG Foundation and the Queensland Government's GOMA Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Patricia Piccinini / View full image
Piccinini’s curious hybrid creatures blend reality with fantasy, apparently alive, these fantastical Vespa-like beings have the ability to foster empathy in the viewer through their hyperreal appearance — along with their sense of movement and wonderous nature — raises complex questions about what constitutes life in a time of genetic engineering and biotechnology.
As Piccinini has said, 'The point of crafting another life is so that you can talk about this one...' Piccinini's creations question what the outcome might be as humanity and technology become ever more entwined.
Watch | Patricia Paccinini introduces you to The stags 2008
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
Brisbane, Australia