Inflatable Rabbits Intrude Into Downtown Manhattan

Arts Brookfield will present a four-city American tour of Australian artist Amanda Parer’s Intrude, a public art installation of monumental rabbits. The work comes to downtown Manhattan beginning April 17th.

The cultural arm of the real estate corporation Brookfield commissioned Parer to construct 2 four-story rabbits that will join an existing set of 5 two-story rabbits, all made of white nylon. Each will be inflated and internally lit.

“I get a kick out of changing people’s usual spaces,” Parer says. “I like art that is both funny and serious at the same time, so my giant rabbits have an ecological message. In my native Australia the rabbit is a feral species. Since its introduction over 200 years ago, it has made its home in every nook and cranny in the country. [These rabbits] are large, the elephant in the room, like the issues they represent: big.”

Parer has also created a range of the rabbits to be sold through her website. “I thought it would be nice to offer people the opportunity to take a bit of Intrude home with them,” she says.

Intrude has been shown in 19 major cities around the world. After a preview in Toronto, it will appear at Brookfield Place New York from April 17th through the 30th, marking the one-year anniversary of the reopening of the location, which was previously known as the World Financial Center. Brookfield properties in Houston, Los Angeles, and Denver will host the work throughout the summer.