Lot 14: Michael Parekowhai Ed Brown (from the Beverly

Michael Parekowhai Ed Brown (from the Beverly Hills Gun Club series) taxidermied sparrow, powder coated aluminium 155 x 100 x 100mm This is a small sculpture, but one that would be eye-catching in any domestic environment, particularly at night when one does not expect to see sparrows up and about - least of all in a house. For Parekowhai a sparrow is not a cute little bird but an insidious colonial invader, an unwanted intruder with a propensity to breed rapidly and ravage natural resources. One sparrow by itself looks innocuously individual; calling it Ed Brown makes it a winged symbol for Pakeha. Parekowhai also made large photographic portraits of these taxidermy birds with the same bright orange in the background. The photographs have unnerving detail but the sculptures intrigue because of their ambiguity. They could be alive but sleeping. They seem sweet but are also an expression of anger. John Hurrell