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‘The Secret Life of Wings’ by Yee Ann Chiu celebrates the spirited personalities of Australian birds set against the backdrop of familiar Melbourne landscapes. 

Growing up in Taiwan, where birds are shy and keep their distance from people, Chiu was captivated by the boldness of their Australian counterparts, from fearless magpies to cheeky cockatoos. Inspired by these encounters, she imagines their hidden lives, painting whimsical scenes brimming with colour and curiosity. Each work reflects Chiu’s delight in the unexpected and her fascination with the bonds between nature and community. 

This exhibition invites viewers to rediscover the everyday with fresh eyes – to pause, wonder and reconnect with the quiet magic we often overlook, guided by our local feathered friends.

Image credit: Yee Ann Chiu, detail from ‘Beach Day’, 2025, watercolour and gouache on paper, 29.7 x 42 cm, image courtesy of the artist.

Painted illustration of a red steam train crossing a wooden trestle bridge in a green forest. Smoke rises from the engine. Seven white cockatoos stand in a row along the roofs of the brown carriages beneath the forest canopy.
Yee Ann Chiu, ‘All Aboard (Sulphur-crested Cockatoo)’, 2025, watercolour, gouache and pencil colours, 29.6 x 42 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painted illustration of a small speckled bird perched on a thin branch, surrounded by warm autumn colours. Leaves in shades of red, orange and yellow fill the background, with soft washes of colour creating a soft blurred backdrop.
Yee Ann Chiu, ‘Keeper of Small Spells (Spotted Pardalote)’, 2025, watercolour, gouache and pencil colours, 15 x 10 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Digital illustration of a row of brightly coloured beach huts lines a sandy shoreline under a turquoise sky with white clouds. Four black-and-white shorebirds walk along the sand in the foreground, each wearing a different hat or accessory. Waves lap the edge of the beach on the left.
Yee Ann Chiu, ‘Beach Day’, 2025, watercolour and gouache on paper, 29.7 x 42 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Digital illustration of a dense forest of tall, straight trees with soft green light filtering through. One dark bird with red tail feathers flies toward a tree hollow where another bird sits, holding a yellow wattle branch. Yellow flowering wattles fill the forest floor.
Yee Ann Chiu, 'Wattle Promises (Red-tailed Black Cockatoos)’, 2025, watercolour, gouache and pencil colours, 60 x 90 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Digital illustration of two small birds sitting side by side on the upper branches of a tall, leafless tree. Below them stretches a dense cluster of similar bare branches. The sky is pale and misty, filling most of the scene.
Yee Ann Chiu, ‘A Shared Silence (Gang-gang Cockatoos)’, 2025, watercolour, gouache and pencil colours, 30 x 61 cm, image courtesy of the artist.
Painted illustration of a dark bird stands on a mossy log, its head topped with a bright yellow party hat. Two long, curved tail plumes arch above its back, with fine white filaments fanning outward. The background is blurred in soft green tones.
Yee Ann Chiu, ‘A Party for One (Superb Lyrebird)’, 2026, watercolour, gouache and pencil colours, 20 x 25 cm, image courtesy of the artist.