Phoenix, Indian Blue Peacock

BACKGROUND The Queensland Art Gallery foundation purchased Phoenix, Indian Blue Peacock because Weaver's work is global in its focus on heightened awareness of relationships between humans, other animals and the environment. A central theme in her work reflects on what interspecies relationships reveal about society and contribute to art museum bestiaries of live, dead, photographed and filmed animals. This research uses sculptures to engage with evolution and metamorphosis to explore how societies' representations of animals often function as metaphors, or mirrors, for our own animal nature. CONTRIBUTION Flora and fauna was a strong sub-theme to much of the work selected to represent the first decade of the 21st century. Crafted menagerie re-imagines the taxidermy model in this work while a decorative 'skin' alludes to the distinction between artificial and natural, ephemeral and enduring, beautiful and bizarre. Here Weaver drew on museological, scientific and material sources, including haute couture (Chanel) and aesthetic and conceptual concerns from diverse cultures and mythology to Surrealist artist Meret Oppenheim. 'The reality of the underlying beast is at odds with its extravagant plumage.' (M Wallace, ed. 21st Century. Art in the First Decade) SIGNIFICANCE With 451,041 visitors this was the most successful contemporary art exhibition ever mounted in Australia. Conceived by QAG Curator/Director Tony Elwood this exhibition was a groundbreaking comprehensive survey of current directions in art practice and contemporary conditions for art with works from 140 artists of 42 countries including Tracey Emin (England), Romuald Hazoumè (Benin), Arthur Pambegan Jr and Craig Koomeeta (Australia), Guy Tillim (South Africa) and Olaf Breuning (Switzerland), SUPERFLEX (Denmark) and Sharif Waked (Palestine). Phoenix was also shown in 2013 (Air Born) at McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park and GoMA in 2012 (Sculpture is Everything: Contemporary Works from the Collection).