THE GOVERNOR OF NSW LAUNCHES MIRROR BOOK & EXHIBITION

In a major publishing event renowned artist Jeannie Baker’s new picture book Mirror was officially launched at the Museum of Sydney last week by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of NSW.

Over two hundred people gathered to celebrate the publication of what many believe to be possibly Jeannie’s best book yet.  Featuring intricate, eye-catching collage artworks, the originals of which are now exhibited to the public at the Museum of Sydney, Mirror tells a dual story of two young boys; one in Sydney, Australia, the other in the Valley of Roses in Morocco. The daily lives of the two boys are to be wordlessly ‘read’ simultaneously thus enabling the reader to draw the parallels between family and culture in turn underlying the mirror theme reinforced by the book’s title.

“We are privileged to celebrate the innovation and creativity of Jeannie Baker’s new work which always perfectly captures a leading issue in the Zeitgeist,” says Sarah Foster, Managing Director of Walker Books. “Jeannie Baker is unique in the way she has the power to convey in miniature detail immense ideas; subject matter which is always broad in scope.”

The idea for Mirror was inspired by a trip Jeannie undertook to Morocco, and launch guests were able to preview with wonder and delight the mounted original artworks that comprise the Mirror exhibition.

With a life-long passion and work commitment to childhood health, literacy and indigenous cultures, the Governor of NSW launched both the book and art exhibition and proclaimed the work to be “a panorama of humanity”.

Jeannie’s original works for Mirror are currently on exhibition to the public at the Museum of Sydney until 10 October, 2010 before travelling to seven venues around the country in a national touring exhibition.


The book and exhibition has received the support of the Australian Government, the Australian Council for the Arts and the Council for Australian-Arab Relations.