The White Rabbit Collection

Overview

It is a testament to Chippendale's final stage of gentrification that the old working class suburb is not only home to several ARIs and commercial galleries, but now houses a big shiny contemporary art institute, The White Rabbit Collection.

One of several new private foundations that are opening up across the country, the purpose-built site houses the extensive and evolving collection of contemporary Chinese art belonging to billionaire Judith Neilson and her family. With digital media, hyperrealism, miniature worlds made of dust, strobe lighting, photo documentation of menstruation, and an abundance of bright, high-gloss finishes on oversized sculptural works of bronze, fibreglass and porcelain, the collective mood is one of irreverence and exuberance.

It was not so long ago that the world started to take notice of the new generation of artists who had grown up in China with comparative peace and prosperity, as well as urban landscapes saturated with commodities and advertising. It has now become cliche to speak of 'China's New Cultural Revolution', but it is clear that art thrives in times of change, and these artists are capturing the energy and ambivalence of their rapidly transforming society.

Embracing individualism and breaking away from the old-world values of generations past, many of these artists also evoke a quiet melancholy for lost tradition. The collection suggests that Chinese artists today often dip into their rich history and employ traditional craftsmanship or reference ancient mythology and aesthetic values. But The White Rabbit is all about the now, and the future. All the works in the collection were created after 2000, and they confirm we're going to be seeing a lot more from Chinese artists in the years ahead.

Image: He Jia, Apple In Love (detail), 2006, acrylic on canvas, 200x320cm