THE SKYWHALE

Meet the Skywhale, a giant hot-air balloon designed by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini in 2013 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Australia’s capital city, Canberra. When it flew over Canberra in 2013, critics argued this turtlelike floating sculpture did not represent the city, and complained about its cost. The controversial sculpture is now back! On November 22, it will float over the Yarra Valley, in Victoria, to celebrate the opening of the exhibition “Patricia Piccinini and Joy Hester: Through Love ...” at the TarraWarra Museum of Art. Since its Canberra debut, the Skywhale has appeared in Japan, Ireland and Brazil.

whale baleine / Meet... Voici... / hot-air balloon montgolfière / to design concevoir, créer, imaginer / to argue soutenir / opening ici, inauguration / exhibition exposition / debut ici, première apparition.