Flying Penguin
2018
Colour Perspex, metal wire
115 x 130 x 72 cm, 6kg approx.

According to Chinese folklore, in the antiquity time, penguin used to be able to fly. When winter came, a large number of penguins flew away looking for new habitat. However, there was a female penguin could not fly because her wings were too short. A male penguin decided to stay with her. In search of food, they worked hard to learn how to swim. Years later, they sat by the sea. The female penguin said to the male penguin, ‘I’m sorry, for my sake, you have given up the sky.’ He said: ‘It does not matter, I got you and the ocean.’

This sculpture intends to create an ideal world with a sense of completeness. In Chinese tradition, hexagon shape symbolises all six directions: North, South, East, West, together with Heaven and Earth. In this work, the main subject penguin is portrayed in geometric shapes not only to reflect the nature, but also to represent the movement. As the penguin emerges from the sea, represented by three blue hexagon shapes, it takes off to reach the sky, represented by three yellow hexagon shapes. The diagonal structure signifies an uprising energy.

The playful work is suspended from the centre of the arch outside the entrances of Sydney Aquarium and the Penguin Land. It moves elegantly in a slow rhythm by breeze. 

Sydney Aquarium
Commissioned by Sydney Aquarium