Quasi, Rooftop sculpture at City Gallery Wellington, New Zealand.
Quasi is a 16-foot polystyrene and resin sculpture depicting a human hand with a face balanced on two fingers atop the City Gallery roof. The work incorporates digital scans of the artist's own hand and facial features.
The sculpture was created by artist Ronnie van Hout in 2016 for Christchurch Art Gallery. It relocated to Wellington in 2019 as a temporary installation originally planned for five years.
The name references Quasimodo from Victor Hugo's novel. The work connects this literary figure with contemporary scanning technology used to capture human form.
The sculpture is clearly visible from downtown Wellington and serves as a good landmark for city navigation. Its rooftop placement means it can be viewed from multiple angles throughout the surrounding streets.
The sculpture travels between locations by helicopter rather than conventional transport. This unusual method of moving an oversized artwork between cities adds another layer to its nomadic nature.
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