Intrude

SAN FRANCISCO —Mayor Edwin M. Lee with the San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Parks Department today announce that San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza will host Intrude, a large-scale public artwork by artist Amanda Parer. The public artwork will activate the public space and be available to all of San Francisco residents and visitors to enjoy 24 hours, 7 days a week beginning April 4th through April 25th. The highly acclaimed installation features five monumental nylon rabbits that are inflated to 23 feet high and internally lit at night.

“Public art highlights our City’s creativity and innovative spirit and improves the quality of life for our residents by providing free access to art, culture, and education opportunities,” said Mayor Lee. “We are proud to host Intrude, a remarkable family-friendly installation, and welcome these five rabbits to temporarily inhabit the heart of our City for all our families, residents and visitors to enjoy.”

The presentation of Intrude was a collaborative effort between the San Francisco Arts Commission, which runs one of the oldest and most respected public art programs in the country, the Recreation & Park Department and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Over the years, Civic Center Plaza has hosted a number of popular public art installations that have bolstered public interest and quality of life, use of the public space, and enhanced economic activity in and around the area in San Francisco’s unique neighborhoods. Additional support for Intrude was provided by MJM Management and Another Planet Entertainment.

“Great public art transforms the familiar into something magical, and Intrude excels in this regard,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “The sheer contrast of these playful white rabbits with the Civic Center’s stately Beaux-arts architecture is so unexpected that it is sure to delight all who pay this exceptional installation a visit.”

“We’re excited to host Intrude, which will bring a whimsical delight to Civic Center Plaza,” said Recreation & Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “I thank the San Francisco Arts Commission for continuing to be a great partner and for promoting high-quality art in our parks and throughout the City.”

The City’s Civic Center is the next stop on the North American tour of Intrude, which has brought a joyful spirit to more than 19 major cities throughout the world, including London, Paris and Boston.

“I am thrilled for the bunnies to make their way across North America. I expect people will be drawn to the rabbits’ playful appearance, and I hope they will also take the time to understand the deeper meaning in the work and discuss how our actions impact the natural world in which we all live,” says Parer.

A civic dedication ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 5 at 9 a.m. on the Polk Street steps of City Hall across from Civic Center Plaza. Off the Grid is a partner for Intrude and will provide food trucks and music programming in the evening of April 5th and a small selection of food trucks for lunch and dinner for the entire duration of the exhibit.

About the Artist
Amanda Parer’s edgy and ephemeral artworks explore the natural world, its fragility and our role within it. Her work features startlingly beautiful creatures enlarged and frozen within their chosen habitats. When viewing one of these iconic, mostly feral animals inhabiting a beautifully haunting landscape, the environmental message is enhanced by the artist’s finely crafted traditional technique in any of her chosen mediums, such as painting, sculpture and public installation. Originally from Sydney, Parer now resides in Tasmania where her work has been acquired by both public and private collections. She has been selected for notable national competitions including five times for the Blake Prize, as well as for the Glover Prize in 2008, 2012 & 2013. Parer has just completed a new light art installation called Fantastic Planet which was commissioned by Winter Lights Festival in London. Parer is currently developing a full exhibition at Harbour City Gallery in Hong Kong, which will open in October 2016 and include paintings, sculptures, and installation. She has also been commissioned to create a new public artwork for the inaugural Doha Festival in Qatar. Intrude has also been invited to be presented at the opening of the La Boverie, a new tourist attraction in Belgium that is both a fine arts museum and an international quality exhibition center. Intrude at La Boverie will be produced in collaboration with The Louvre Museum in Paris. For more information, go to: amandaparer.com.au.