'Monstrous' hand statue sparks controversy
The giant sculpture has been placed on top of Wellington City Gallery.
If you rock up to Wellington City Gallery in New Zealand, you'll see a five-metre tall sculpture of a hand with a human face on it staring down at you. The creepy installation, called Quasi, is scheduled to remain on top of the contemporary art gallery as part of a three-year residency.
Modern art galleries are no strangers to experimental design, but this creation by Melbourne-based New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout has confused and alarmed onlookers.
It features a huge hybrid of a hand and a face that, despite its apparent resemblance to US president Donald Trump, is not meant to depict him. Instead, the sculpture are based on scans of the artist's own body parts. According to the Wellington City Gallery's website: "It's as if 'the hand of the artist' has developed a monstrous life of its own."
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No—Quasi has landed! This morning, Ronnie van Hout’s Quasi was installed on our roof. Quasi is a joint project with Wellington Sculpture Trust, with support from Wellington City Council, Wellington Community Trust, and Richard Burrell. pic.twitter.com/9MaHc9gB71August 18, 2019
Quasi, which is a nod to Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was first displayed on the roof of Christchurch Art Gallery in 2016, following the region's 2011 earthquake.
The installation was recently flown in via helicopter, and understandably attracted a lot of attention.
nice to see wellington getting on board with the hating of public art again today, Ronnie Van Hout's giant hand actually amazing and you're all wrong pic.twitter.com/D8OfrZtPeaAugust 19, 2019
excuse me wellingtonWHAT IN THE FUCK IS THIS NIGHTMARE pic.twitter.com/UbFQaFCLPkAugust 19, 2019
It's also sparked a bit of a turf war between Wellington and Christchurch. Even though Quasi is a controversial piece of art – Christchurch art critic Warren Feeney petitioned for its removal – it seems that residents of the area are sad to see it go.
So the hand with the face is no longer in Christchurch and honestly I will miss it, but now Wellington can feel the sheer terror that thing brings. #quasiAugust 19, 2019
give him back he was ours the gross hand belongs to christchurchAugust 19, 2019
Perhaps this is the perfect reaction to the statue, though. As Wellington City Gallery explains, Quasimodo himself was misshapen, misunderstood, and hated by the people he ultimately saved.
Get the Creative Bloq Newsletter
Daily design news, reviews, how-tos and more, as picked by the editors.
"Despite his ugliness, he turned out to be a great tragic-romantic hero – a beautiful soul.
“It will haunt City Gallery’s roof this season, presiding over a Civic Square largely abandoned in the wake of our own 2016 quake,” the gallery added.
Related articles:
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.