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Quasi: the hand or the face?
Wellington and surrounding
Monuments, Sculptures
Monuments, Sculptures

What is Quasi? This is pop art, roof decoration, native to New Zealand… But above all, it is the face and the hand. Or rather, the face on the hand.

This 5-meter-high sculpture is the brainchild of New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout. This is a kind of self-portrait of the artist, who scanned his hand and face and then put them together in polystyrene and resin to make something bigger. To create art. An unusual "creature" with strikingly bright and piercing eyes reminds everyone that thought is much more important than its appearance.

Van Hout created the Quasi to "revitalize" the Central Square in his hometown of Christchurch in New Zealand after it was destroyed in an earthquake in 2011. This was told by the artist in an interview with the British edition of The Guardian.

Quasi was installed in 2016 and spent three years atop the Christchurch art gallery before moving to the roof of the Wellington city gallery in 2019, where the sculpture has remained for three years.

In 2016, the reaction of residents was ... ambiguous. The art critic from Christchurch, Warren Feeney, wrote an article in the local newspaper "Ten reasons why the Quasi should leave the roof of the Christchurch Gallery". Most of the residents did not treat the sculpture in the best way. Many demanded that it be removed. But when Quasi moved to Wellington, Twitter user Ishmael (@beesechunger) wrote: "Bring it back, it was ours, the hand face belongs to Christchurch." Perhaps this was the reaction of the locals that was van Hout's dream. In an interview, the artist admitted: "I hope that people will pass by and smile, and that will be enough for me."

In 2019, to welcome Quasi to their city, the Wellington Gallery held a special Q&a interview with van Hout. Journalist Megan Dunn asked: "should we love quasi?". The artist replied: "how much can we love a hand that has found its own life without us?"

Now Quasi sits on the roof of the city gallery in Wellington and is visible to anyone who passes by.

Address: 101 Wakefield St

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Praskovia Ko

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