Art Funded by you

The Roar of the Lions

Joao Penalva, 2006

© courtesy of the artist and Simon Lee Gallery

This work was filmed in Berlin at the centre of the frozen lake Grunewaldsee. Grunewald is a forest rich in history, but also a leisure spot and the residential area of an affluent class. The piece could almost be seen as the documentary of a bucolic place and its population of grown-ups, children and pets at play. But while the projected image remains familiar, the narrator leads the viewer to visualize images of other places, people and sounds, and question how much it takes for all that seems familiar and safe to become unknown and menacing. The voiceover in Mandarin Chinese is subtitled by Penalva's own English text, which is spoken in translation. It tells the story of an illegal Chinese immigrant who is pursued by the police after giving a statement to police having witnessing a road accident. This is Towner's first contemporary acquisition by a Portuguese artist and was presented by the Art Fund through Art Fund International.

More information

Title of artwork, date

The Roar of the Lions, 2006

Date supported

2012

Medium and material

Single-channel video projection

Dimensions

Variable

Grant

20606.4

Total cost

20606.4

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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