An artist’s impression of how Ouroboros will look when installed in the National Gallery of Australia’s forecourt later this year. Photo: NGA.
Year in Review: Region is revisiting some of the best Opinion articles of 2024. Here’s what got you talking, got you angry and got you thinking this year. Today, Sally Hopman wades into the Ouroboros controversy.
The arrival of a rather large sculpture, a $14 million artwork called Ouroboros, purchased by the National Gallery of Australia, set this town talking – as if it were 1973 all over again.
The monster of a thing, weighing in at about 13 tonnes, was transported all the way down here from the foundry in Brisbane where it was built. It’s the work of sculptor Lindy Lee and its acquisition was to mark the NGA’s 40th anniversary.
Regardless of what you think about it, it did make the most spectacular of entrances into the NGA on Wednesday morning, and the most thoughtful. Because it’s almost as big as Tasmania, it was held over at Eaglehawk, on the city’s outskirts, on Tuesday night.
When you’re almost wider than most highways, it’s best not to venture into peak hour traffic – even if it’s only Canberra peak hour which can’t hold a horn to what happens during that hour in Sydney.
So that’s one of the thoughtful bits. Deciding to stay at Eaglehawk, until around 2 am on Wednesday so it could have a clear run, or more likely, mosey, across to the NGA, albeit with bells and whistles, was also smart.
Once it got to the NGA, it was all lights, cameras and action – and puffer jackets for as far as the eye could see if your beanie wasn’t blocking the view.
It was so very early in the morning on what was, unkindly, possibly the coldest day in Canberra. Ever. You had to feel sorry for the poor truck drivers and support crew, to say nothing of the artist herself, who all came down from Queensland where they warm to good weather so much better than we do.
The social chatter started almost as early as the sculpture’s arrival. First, the fact it cost $14 million. Second, the fact it was based on the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail. Third, yes it really did cost $14 million.
There were clear shades of Blue Poles all over social media. Thankfully, we didn’t see any comments to the tune of: “I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like”.
About a third were very rude, two-thirds quite rude and the remainder, positively charming.
Many people suggested that the $14 million – or any part of it – would have been better spent on housing for the homeless, food for the hungry, medical care for the sick, jobs for the unemployed, world peace – pretty much anything else.
One keyboard warrior said it was “14 million waisted” perhaps they were referring unkindly to the sculpture’s rather large girth. There was a lot of praise for the artist and the NGA for being “visionary”, while another likened a photo of the sculpture on board the truck as if it were hatching something really large. Then there was the one so simple and to the point – “what is it?”.
The work, according to the artist, symbolises eternal cyclical renewal. What do you think it symbolises?
Play nicely now.
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