Next in our series of overlooked Wellington public art is this beauty here to the right.
If you’ve not seen it before I’d be extremely surprised, because it’s plonked pretty much squarely opposite the Lido, somewhere seeming to always be awash with punters tipping the usual variety of liquids and solids into themselves.
As you can see, it’s a great piece, bronze, and textured in a marvelously subtle way. The slightly abstract lines just make it all the more curious to look at, and the complete absence of nose-hair suggests the model was extremely well-kempt.
So… what is it?
One of the things about living in a great city like Wellington is that there are a hell of a lot of things to take for granted.
I mention this because while listening to Don McGlashan in Civic Square the other day he mentioned that Auckland doesn’t really have any civic art. I’m not sure that’s entirely true… But, in the spirit of parochial one-upmanship I thought I’d bring you some of Wellington’s oft-overlooked art and sculpture.
Why oft-overlooked? Well, we have the Wellington Sculpture Trust and its glamourpuss art all over the blimmin place, but there’s also a lot of smaller, less noticed stuff that we here at the Wellingtonista want to celebrate.
So with no further ado, here is a sculpture. And ain’t it a little cutie?
The real question is of course whether you recognise it. And you probably don’t. This of course being the problem with a place like Wellington, sometimes there’s so much bloody public art you can’t walk three feet without tripping over the latest “abstract something”…
But I digress. So what is it?! More after the jump!
Wellington: A City for Sculpture
edited by Jenny Harper and Aaron Lister, photography by Bruce Connew
Published by VUP in association with the Wellington Sculpture Trust.
(RRP $50.00, Vic Books price $45.00)
Don’t have time to visit, engage and ponder the merits of the sculptures YOU can vote for in the Second Annual Wellingtonista Awards? Buy this book, sit down in front of the computer and peruse to your heart’s content.
This is much more than a book of pretty pictures of sculptures in Wellington. Whilst some of Bruce Connew’s photographs capture the featured works in brilliant sunshine, others are shown against grey or misty skies – an accurate reflection of Wellington’s changeable weather.
Remember a few months back that the city council was worried that someone might steal the 2.5 tonne Henry Moore statue that sits at the edge of the Botanic Gardens near Salamanca Road?
I mean, since they planted the idea the Wellingtonista crew did band together & steal it for our foyer one night. But in the morning we regretted it & snuck it back before anyone noticed.
Anyway, I’m not sure what is happening here… either the council has decided to disguise the statue from prospective thieves…. Or it represents a new work of art in itself. Perhaps by Christo?
Now that the wind’s gone (calloo callay!) and the sun’s out (oh frabjous day!), wouldn’t it be a lovely time to wander down to the waterfront and see the much photographed Water Whirler do its thing? Not so fast, matey boy, someone has had other ideas. It seems that someone has decided that it’s more […]