There is the Flemish giant, and then there is Intrude: an army of white nylon rabbits by Australian artist Amanda Parer, invading one US city at a time. Intrude’s first leg is Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan, the home of Time Inc’s office (we’re excited to be on the front lines.)
There will be seven rabbits on the Arts Brookfield-run tour– five which have already toured globally, and two new commissions. They’ll be in NYC 17th April– 30th April before hopping to Houston, Los Angeles and Denver.
‘They're large because I wanted to make them look like they were just making themselves at home,’ says Parer. Each colossus is in a unique pose– the two new XL commissions are 40x30 feet and 50x15 feet respectively.
Internal illumination lends the rabbits their nightlight glow. And while memories of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Margery Williams’ loved-to-life velveteen rabbit lend the work its innocence, there is also a stern ecological message at play. On Parer’s continent, rabbits are literally an intruder– pests which Australia has combated since they were introduced by 18th century European settlers.
‘People can put up a wall right away when you bring up these things,’ says Parer, of environmental commentary. Even with fluffy critters as an inroad, her message still hits close to home: ‘They're a metaphor for us.’
Parer's process begins with a composition that includes all of the rabbits working in concert. She then creates clay figures that are 3D scanned and sent to a team of artisans to be brought to life at true scale. Intrude is an installation of light, space and personality. It's no wonder Parer looks to Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons and Anish Kapoor for inspiration.
Parer has another inflatable installation ongoing called Fantastic Planet inspired by the 1973 film of the same name. She will also exhibit at the inaugural Doha Festival in Qatar.
When asked if she has a favourite intruder, Parer– a mother– balks. ‘It's a little like asking which is my favourite child... they are a family.’
There will be seven rabbits on the Arts Brookfield-run tour– five which have already toured globally, and two new commissions Photography: Courtesy of The Knot Group.
Although the rabbits are sure to delight with their cuteness, there is also a stern ecological message at play: on Parer’s continent, rabbits are literally an intruder– pests which Australia has combated since they were introduced by 18th century European settlers Photography: Courtesy of The Knot Group.
INFORMATION
Intrude will be in New York from 17th April– 30th April. For more information see Arts Brookfield's website.
ADDRESS
Brookfield Place New York
230 Vesey Street
New York, NY 10821
-
Wallpaper* Design Awards 2026: the year’s most transformative beauty launchesWe’ve eyed up this year’s most transformative launches, designed to elevate dressing tables and daily routines – from Chanel eye patches to the face-contouring Ziip Halo machine
-
Serpentine Pavilion 2026 architects announced – and they put the 'serpent' in the 'Serpentine'LANZA atelier wins the Serpentine Pavilion 2026 commission; the Mexican studio creates the annual structure's newest iteration, titled 'a serpentine', and it features a curvilinear wall snaking across the site
-
‘Glazes are like people’: Devin Wilde launches new midcentury-inspired furniture and vessels for DWRDesign Within Reach (DWR) introduces a new collection with ceramic artist Devin Wilde, featuring bold, handcrafted pieces that blend sculptural form with everyday function
-
Arthur Tress’ photographs taken in The Ramble are a key part of New York’s queer historyThe images, which captured gay men, like Tress himself, cruising around the Central Park woodland in 1969, are the subject of a new book
-
Jan Staller’s Manhattan Project is an abstracted chronicle of a city under constructionThe photographer Jan Staller shows another side of New York’s relentless change with this portfolio of dynamic, sculptural images
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week'Tis the season for eating and drinking, and the Wallpaper* team embraced it wholeheartedly this week. Elsewhere: the best spot in Milan for clothing repairs and outdoor swimming in December
-
Nadia Lee Cohen distils a distant American memory into an unflinching new photo book‘Holy Ohio’ documents the British photographer and filmmaker’s personal journey as she reconnects with distant family and her earliest American memories
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
-
Inside the work of photographer Seydou Keïta, who captured portraits across West Africa‘Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens’, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, celebrates the 20th-century photographer
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
