The installation of John Kelly’s much-lauded Man lifting cow sculpture on Hampshire Road on Tuesday was a relatively low-key affair.
But fanfare will sound out in September when the official unveiling happens.
The artist flew in from West Cork in Ireland to help the heavy lifters ensure his creation was positioned just so. His mother, wife and son were also on hand.
Mr Kelly, who grew up in Sunshine North before moving offshore at 29, says it was an odd feeling to see his sculpture in situ, finally.
Man lifting cow arrives in Sunshine! #johnkellyartist pic.twitter.com/jgtYaUqNsr
— BrimbankCityCouncil (@BrimbankCouncil) August 16, 2016
“It’s a bit of a strange feeling when you spend so long making something and it comes to realisation.”
The six-metre bronze sculpture has been two years in the making, beginning in a Dublin foundry where Mr Kelly made the first machettes. But the actual form was crafted at Sunshine’s Fundêre Studios.
“I think that’s critically important that it was made in Sunshine,” he says. “It would have been convenient for me to have it made in London or Paris.”
He says the sculpture has arrived at a turning point in Brimbank’s art scene, observing the area has come a long way since he left what he dubbed “a cultural desert”.
The Ireland-based artist is best known for his massive sculptures of cows, which have been exhibited across the world, including in Paris, London and now in Sunshine.
Landscaping and other works will continue on the footings of the sculpture over coming weeks before its unveiling on September 6 at 9.30am.
