The Vancouver Biennale is pleased to announce the public installation of Bird Wrap, a sculpture by Canadian luminary Ivan Eyre. Bird Wrap, is now on view in Vancouver's Thornton Park. This celebrated sculpture will be one of many major works installed as part of the 2014 – 2016 Vancouver Biennale exhibition.
The Vancouver Biennale invites leading national and international artists to push their boundaries and expand their artistic practices. Eyre’s monumental bronze of a man cloaked in the visage of a bird stands 2.4 meters high, towering over the heads of bystanders. Drawings of wrapped heads, sinuous bodies, juxtaposed male and female figures and iconic animals are observed and depicted through his deeply private lens. Translating into solid three-dimensional form has challenged and energized the sculptor to produce such highly original works as Bird Wrap.
"For me, the motivation to sculpt or paint is fundamental in itself in going forward in search of perfection, meaning and uniqueness."
—Ivan Eyre, March 2014
About the Artist
Ivan Eyre has explored his inner world to produce an original body of work encompassing drawing, painting and sculpture for the past 50 years. Eyre has exhibited in 65 solo exhibitions and 250 group exhibitions around the world including the National Gallery of Canada, the 49th Parallel Gallery in New York, the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett in Germany, the Canadian Cultural Centre in Paris and Canada House in London, England. His work can be found in numerous permanent collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C., and the National Gallery of Canada. Most recently, he was honoured by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection to place his nine monumental sculptures in a uniquely designed sculpture garden.
About the Vancouver Biennale
The Vancouver Biennale is a non-profit charitable organization that celebrates art in public space; 2014 marks the third anniversary. Each exhibition transforms the urban landscape into an Open Air Museum, creating globally inspired cultural experiences. Artists from 25 countries and 4 continents have participated in their exhibitions to date.
The Vancouver Biennale demonstrates that great public art is a foundation in creating livable, creatively inspired communities where installations become a social bridge for people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, educational levels and financial wherewithal to come together as neighbours to explore, learn, dialogue, and imagine.
