A larger-than-life outdoor sculptural exhibition is making its world premiere at the San Antonio Botanical Garden: Huntopia: Bunnies, Birds & Butterflieswill debut May 4 and run through November 3, 2024.
Huntopia will mark the first-ever garden exhibition for internationally recognized artist Hunt Slonem. His oversized pieces will be installed across the garden's lush 38 acres, according to a release.
"Botanical gardens fascinate me," Slonem says in the release. "Nature is embedded in my soul and I'm thrilled to have the lush canvas of a garden to mix my art with."
Huntopia is a collaboration among Slonem, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, and the Mays Family Foundation.
The New York City-based artist is known for his blown-glass sculptures of animals, as well as large-scale sculptures and restorations of forgotten historic homes. He has had over 350 exhibitions displayed internationally and has artwork in more than 80 museums around the world, but has never mounted a full-scale garden exhibition, the release says.
Slonem first developed the idea for the exhibition in 2020, "inspired by the sculptural glass manifestations of his beloved bunny muses," he says. He tapped artistic teams in New York and Seattle to help bring life to the project, including an "international assembly of artisans and craftspeople," he says.
Hunt Slonem draws inspiration, in part, from his beloved pet birds.
Photo courtesy of Hunt Slonem
Slonem says he draws inspiration from nature, as well as his beloved pet birds. He's become known for his series of bunnies, butterflies, and tropical birds.
"The artist's iconic animal muses will manifest in colorful eruptions of sculptural play throughout the garden, taking visitors on a whimsical journey that evokes the wonder and reverence for nature that inspires the artist in his daily painting practice," the release promises.
Katherine Trumble, interim CEO of the San Antonio Botanical Garden, says the garden is honored to display the world premiere of Slonem's exhibition.
"Huntopia will fuse a dynamic interplay of art and nature, bringing a new dimension of Slonem's unique vision to life in our Garden," she says in the release.
Viewing of Huntopia will be included in daily garden admission. More information can be found on sabot.org.
