THE work of Australia\u2019s premier hyperrealist sculptor Patricia Piccinini will gracefully float over Ballarat this winter.<\/p>\n
The National Gallery of Australia\u2019s Skywhales: Every Heart Sings <\/em>tour will see Piccinini\u2019s surreal hot air balloon family, the original Skywhale<\/em> and the baby carrying Skywhalepapa, <\/em>become a feature of the city\u2019s sky during Ballarat Winter Festival.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery Heart Sings<\/em> is a project that talks about nature, family, evolution, care, and wonder. The Skywhales float into our lives to make us smile and think,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe point of this work is that care is something that belongs to all of us. Care should not be gendered. Care is not a human thing.<\/p>\n \u201cCare is something we can all share and it is the carers who are the heroes of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n Art Gallery of Ballarat director Louise Tegart said the Skywhales<\/em> will be launched early in the morning at a public park or reserve. The location is yet to be determined as this will be influenced by weather patterns.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community will be invited to witness the spectacle of them being inflated, and taking off, and there will be some musical accompaniments, coffee and refreshments at the site,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Skywhales<\/em> are touring a number of other sites, but we would encourage Ballarat people to wait until they come here so they can see them in their own backyard. It will be a lovely morning out.\u201d<\/p>\n City of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said all people can appreciate art in some way, but not everyone has the opportunity to visit a formal gallery.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the accessibility of this. It\u2019s an awesome way for everyone in Ballarat to enjoy an immersive art experience at once, literally just look up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re brilliant pieces, but also pretty fantastical. For the 2020s, nothing is too unusual, and anything is possible, so can a giant whale float above Lake Wendouree? Sure, why not?<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not just balloons, but wonderful pieces of art. If anything, it\u2019s a bit of a metaphor for the times; fantastic ideas that challenge us.\u201d<\/p>\n