For Christchurch, the most English of New Zealand cities, Michael Parekowhai conceived a work that depicted the most English of animals - the humble rabbit, elevated to a heroic scale.

Rabbits have played a long role in the history of the region. They first arrived in Lyttleton on board the Samarang in 1852, in the company of the English settlers. Making themselves particularly at home in the New Zealand grasslands, gradually the rabbits took over, spreading with lightning speed across the Canterbury plains. By the 1880s, rabbits were a noxious pest.

Michael Parekowhai's rabbits were, by contrast, playful characters. Parekowhai proposed a monumental sculpture of two cartoon bunnies, frolicking in the colonial Gothic heart of the city. Parekowhai is one of a small group of mid-career artists who explore the convergence between Maori and European cultures. These storybook rabbit characters continued his fascination with the imported aspects of New Zealand culture. Parekowhai's proposal, and its controversial public reception, were explored in a special display.

Curator: Lara Strongman