Simply a Custodian: Profile of Judith Neilson

In 2009, Zimbabwe-born art collector and philanthropist Judith Neilson launched Sydney’s White Rabbit Gallery in a refurbished four-story garage. The not-for-profit platform presents exhibitions of works drawn from Neilson’s collection of contemporary Chinese art made in or after 2000—the year she started amassing art. When White Rabbit opened, the collection comprised 200 works by 75 artists, but since then has grown in parallel with Neilson’s confidence as a collector. Today it numbers 3,500 pieces by 700 artists, and includes seminal projects, such as Ai Weiwei’s installation Sunflower Seeds (2010), which features 500 kilograms of porcelain seeds; Xu Zhen’s gothic cathedral Play 201301 (2013), fashioned from black latex sex toys; Liu Xiaodong’s robotic painting machine Weight of Insomnia (2016); and Liu Wei’s immense, geometric installation Density 1-6 (2013). The collection is still increasing exponentially in volume as a result of Neilson’s regular buying sprees in China.

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