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Iconic ‘nightmarish fever dream’ to depart Wellington

Updated Oct 31, 2024, 6:36pm EDT
The hand statue with a face on it.
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The News

After five years, New Zealand’s capital will say goodbye to a divisive sculpture that some compared to a “nightmarish fever dream” — but others grew to love. Ronnie van Hout’s Quasi, a giant hand with a disapproving face that some say bears an uncanny resemblance to a former US president, has been scowling above Wellington’s civic square since 2019, provoking debate over whether it was an artistic monstrosity or a misunderstood masterpiece.

Mayor Tory Whanau told The Guardian that the sculpture, which now heads to Australia, “showcased to us why it’s important to have diverse art and creative projects in our city. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing Quasi head somewhere else for a change.”

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