BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE SKY
Artist: Gabby Malpas
This is a burst of appreciation of the beautiful Sydney harbour foreshore that I admired as a new arrival in 2003. I love Sydney beaches, beachcombing and looking in rock pools is one of my favourite pastimes – from when I was growing up in NZ. After many years in the UK, the sunshine, beaches, lifestyle and optimism of Australia instilled me with joy and made me truly thankful to be here. Along the way, I became acquainted with Australian native plants – yet I didn’t begin to paint them for at least 10 years after first seeing a banksia, kangaroo paw or a waratah. Strangely beautiful, their forms went against everything I had learnt about botany.
My design is an adaptation of the centuries old but very European genre of Chinoiserie. The main colours are the classic blue and white of Chinese porcelain. At the base of the tail is an underwater vista – seaweed and small fish drift gently in the surf. Coastal banksia branches drop into view at the tail fin. A couple of Sydney tiger moths are in attendance.
Gabby Malpas
Gabby Malpas is a Chinese adoptee raised by white parents in New Zealand. The harbour foreshore of Sydney was one of the first places she visited soon after arriving in Australia. Since settling in Sydney, Gabby has embraced the unique forms of native flora and fauna, often including these in lavish still life paintings. Gabby challenges the centuries-old, western and colonial tradition of Chinoiserie with her own narrative. The resulting images are beautiful, delicate, and their stories draw viewers in for a closer look. This is a calculated contrast to the sometimes confronting messages within her work.
Like this artwork and sometimes Sydney itself, the Chinese Garden of Friendship represents a fusion of East and West. Modelled after 5th Century gardens in China, they are a masterpiece of traditional Chinese culture and symbolism infused with Australian character. A tranquil retreat in the city’s bustling heart, they are another example of unexpected things that meet in the New Sydney Waterfront.
The design, by Guangzhou Landscape Bureau, and according to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism with its principle of Yin and Yang, further extends this idea of opposite yet complementary forces coming together.
The Gardens offer a hectare of peace and tranquillity, with serene pathways through exotic plants, blooming flowers and a lake of shimmering Koi. The Gardens by Lotus restaurant, in a heritage listed teahouse, serves dumplings, tea and fiery Sichuan cuisine.
The Chinese Garden of Friendship symbolise friendship between Sydney and Guangzhou in the province of Guangdong, China.
First Nations Audio Narrative: With thanks to our Indigenous Cultural Advisors, Aunty Jo Selfe and Uncle Graham Toomey, and special contributors who have generously shared important stories of place. Listen to the First Nations Audio Narrative here.
Charity Auction
Love Whale Tales? Want to keep one?
You can! After the Waterfront Whale Tales trail concludes, all 30 sculptures will be offered for purchase at a dedicated art auction at Sydney Maritime Museum, Terrace Room.
The net proceeds from the auction will go to The Kids’ Cancer Project.
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