Urban Art's City of Sculpture exhibition goes live

News Release 27 May 2020

Urban Art Foundation’s City of Sculpture exhibition goes live

The Urban Art Foundation in partnership with the Wellington Sculpture Trust has launched its latest digital art exhibition, City of Sculpture.

The exhibition which will run for approximately six weeks went live on Monday, 25 May. It is being screened on the Foundation’s six digital screens on Lambton Quay and in shopping malls in Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty and Wellington, and potentially other digital street signage in those areas.

Ten of New Zealand’s foremost sculptors have their works featured in the exhibition they are: Anton Parsons, Kom Dimopoulos, Leon van den Eijkel, Bill Culbert, Phil Price, Andrew Drummond, Kareama Taepa, Ronnie van Hout, Michael Tuffery and Brett Graham.

The Wellington Sculpture Trust was established in 1983 and is a voluntary and independent charitable trust dedicated to enriching Wellington by providing contemporary innovative public art for the city.

Andrew Hagen, Urban Art’s founder and creative director said, “We are delighted to be able to partner with the Wellington Sculpture Trust to make this exhibition a reality. The Sculpture Trust and the Urban Art Foundation share a common goal of enriching Wellington by providing contemporary innovative public art for the city. The full exhibition with links to more information about the artists and their works also features on our Exhibitions page.”

Sue Elliott, Chair of the Wellington Sculpture Trust said today, “We are grateful to the Urban Art Foundation for allowing us to move our sculptures around the city and the country. The Trust enjoys the fresh perspectives that the photos bring to our works and the possibility they might entice people to visit them at their locations throughout Wellington’s CBD. Each work was commissioned to be site-specific, but as the world grapples with ‘changing circumstances’ we like the idea of them ‘changing spaces’,” she said.

About the Urban Art Foundation

The Urban Art Foundation (Urban Art) is a not for profit company committed to making art accessible on streets and in public gateways to enrich New Zealander’s experience of their urban environment. It takes art created by New Zealand artists out of archives and displays it in contemporary easily accessible, outdoor digital media sites – street furniture - for people to view as a source of enjoyment and education.

This is achieved through an association with outdoor media company oOH!media who provide electronic billboards on city centres, shopping malls and bus shelters in throughout New Zealand .

Urban Art is best known to Wellingtonians through three sites showcasing New Zealand art on Lambton Quay. More recently Urban Art has extended its presence to other sites including Wellington International Airport and, earlier this year, the Wellington Railway Station.

About the Wellington Sculpture Trust

The Wellington Sculpture Trust was established in 1982 and is a voluntary and independent charitable trust dedicated to enriching Wellington by providing contemporary innovative public art for the city. The Trust has installed 29 works in the city centre, waterfront, along Cobham Drive near Wellington’s airport, and in the Botanic Garden.

The large body of work that is now in these locations provides for three distinct sculpture walks that enable people to enjoy the works in the gardens, on the waterfront, or in the CBD, as well as being able to enjoy them as they get about the city.

Our aim is not only to commission public works of art, but also to encourage and support sculptural practice in New Zealand. All our sculptures, with one notable exception (the Henry Moore) are by prominent New Zealand sculptors. Their contribution to our cityscape is enduring and enriches the creative atmosphere of the city, making art accessible to everyone, and raising awareness, understanding and appreciation of contemporary public sculpture.

Ultimately these works make Wellington a better place to live and visit.

We also periodically run symposiums and facilitate speakers to inform, enhance and contribute to the debate on what constitutes public art and the place for both temporary and permanent works.

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