The incredibly successful Shaun Tan: Suburban Odyssey exhibition was enjoyed by thousands at FAC in 2012. Now Shaun Tan returns with the original paintings, sculptures, studies and sketches from his most recent book, Tales from the Inner City. The book tells a story about the relationships between humans and animals, a heartfelt and empathetic gaze into a world where natural and urban environments merge in a transient, post-industrial world.

Enjoy an up-close, intimate look at the texture and atmosphere of the large paintings Tan has created to illustrate this book. Exquisitely rendered, they initiate a floating sensation of an ethereal other world – perhaps one that we have lost, or one that offers another possibility of co-existence.

“I’ve often felt that many material and spiritual problems suffered by myself and others may have something to do with distance from nature in a post-colonial and post-industrial world, especially within urban centres. Thinking about other animals is a useful way of appreciating this, stepping back from a rather narrow anthropocentric mindset, trapped as it is in contemporary human concerns and self-obsession.” – Shaun Tan