2 weeks ago
3
‘Inflated’ Pink Chairs, an art installation that has made waves in New York and Venice, has found its permanent home at the State Library of Queensland in Brisbane.
CJ Hendry’s pink chairs have found a permanent home at Brisbane’s State Library.
The mastermind behind the “Torana pink” chairs is Brisbane artist CJ Hendry, who has donated the artworks to the State Library. While they give the illusion of being inflatable, they are actually 130kg of brass apiece.
“People usually approach the chairs with a bit of confusion; they’re initially thrown off by the juxtaposition of material and setting. They’ll ‘kick the tyres’ and realise it’s solid, not inflated, and then really go for it. They sit; they climb; they look,” Hendry said in a statement.
The New York-based artist is known for her hyperrealistic large-scale drawings. Her work also extends to luxury fashion, fabrics, flowers and pop-culture symbols.
South African-born, Brisbane-raised hyperrealist artist CJ Hendry.
State Library CEO Vicki McDonald said Hendry’s generous donation of the installation was warmly welcomed.
“This is the first permanent installation [of Inflated] anywhere in the world, I think they’re quite iconic. The unexpected nature of it is you think they’re going to be inflatable, but they’re not. It’s quite contrary to what your expectation is,” she said.
The pink chairs have made appearances in New York City.
McDonald said the donation was significant as Hendry’s pieces are sought after across the globe.
“It’s a bit of fun – and I think a lot of young people come to the State Library, and CJ said she remembers coming to the library, meeting friends in the cafe, wandering around. It has that connection back to her as well.”
This isn’t the first time Hendry has appeared in a professional sense at the library. In 2021 she was the first guest in the Game Changers series in which influential artists speak about their experiences in a series of candid conversations.
For the artist, the decision to donate the chairs to a Brisbane institution was a no-brainer.
“I really wanted these chairs to have a home in Australia and the State Library felt like a perfect long-term home. It’s really cool to know my work is part of that collection back home,” she said.
Launching the installation was another colourful Brisbane creative, Rachel Burke, who warmed the chairs on Tuesday morning.
Brisbane designer Rachel Burke warmed the pink chairs on launch day.Credit: Markus Ravik
“I’m obsessed with them – I think they’re fabulous. They truly are like millennial pop art,” Burke said.
A long-term fan of Hendry, Burke said the decision to collaborate with the installation came naturally.
Loading
“It’s so wonderful that her public art is very much planted in the city that she’s come from,” she said.
Librarian India Dixon said showcasing internationally renowned art was part of the State Library’s push to get Brisbane’s cultural scene on the world stage.
“The warm weather, the sunshine, really inspires the cultural melting pot here in Queensland. That creates a really distinct identity.”
Get alerts on significant breaking news as happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.
Most Viewed in Culture
Loading
