‘Pretty inappropriate’: Revisiting the art projects that have got Geelong talking
From giant genitalia to a statue with an allegedly oversized head, Geelong has hosted some contentious art projects. Have your say on the controversial creations.
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Giant genitalia, roadside “rake” art, and a royal with an allegedly oversized head – these are some of the art projects installed or proposed for Geelong that received mixed reactions.
Over the years, installations and artworks have popped up in our region that have caused a stir in the community, including a giant vagina statue and a knitted bowel.
In April this year, a proposal to install colourful buoys near the Barwon Heads bridge had the community divided.
Chris MacLeod, the curator of the Queenscliff Art Prize, came up with the plan that would aim to highlight local artists’ work and bring more people to the region during winter months.
However, some in the community voiced their disapproval of the proposal.
Locals turned to social media to voice their opinions, from saying the pieces of “ugly monstrosity” didn’t belong in the area, to the bay simply “not (needing) more man-made additions”.
Mr MacLeod told the Geelong Advertiser he was shocked by the “aggressive” Facebook posts about his proposal.
“These buoys would be well designed and meet all international standards,” he said.
“All that is required for these to become a truly unique, world class attraction is the participation of a few highly skilled artists from the region.”
Geelong historian and art enthusiast Colin Mockett OAM said while there were some more “risque” artworks around Geelong, and temporary installations in the past, they were somewhat hidden.
He said some of the bollards located around Geelong’s waterfront were a good example of subtle pieces that could be perceived as inappropriate.
“There’s the one which is a (sex worker) who’s propositioning a sailor,” Mr Mockett said.
“But you have to know the story behind it (to know the subject matter).”
Mr Mockett said one of the functions of art was to shock, so he wasn’t surprised that in the past there had been pieces that did just that.
He said Geelong was “absolutely” ready for more art that was out of the ordinary.
“The wackier the better,” he said.
“I think we’re a community that is coming out from a period of being more stayed.
“We’re ready for it.
“There’s always going to be people who are going to complain … but those (can) look away.
“We’ve got the most diverse set of art (out of) anywhere in Victoria.
“We’ve got all kind of art … such an eclectic collection of artwork that covers just about everything.”
Mr Mockett said art and humour would continue to be mixed together, and that the combination was “great fun”.
Giant vagina at community event
A community arts event at Johnstone Park in March, 2014, had a local father unimpressed with a giant vagina installation.
Geelong teacher Terry Read said at the time that while visiting the Figment arts festival with his four-year-old son, they came across a large statue of a naked woman with legs spread and a red cloth crawling tunnel for children between her legs.
“It (the large statue) looked fairly innocent from behind, it was only when you walked around the front that you realised the crawling tunnel was a huge vagina,” he said.
“It was clearly designed and purpose-built for children.
“I’m no prude, I just think it was pretty inappropriate.”
Event organiser Miriam Fathalla told the Geelong Advertiser at the time that she had not heard any complaints about the festival while it was running.
Mr Mockett said kids did not understand how the installation could be considered inappropriate.
‘Garden rakes’ sculpture
A proposal to install roadside sculptures worth $260,000 were likened to “garden rakes” that sell for $4 at Bunnings Warehouse.
The installation of “Dusk and Dawn” – 11 fan sculptures making up Dawn which marks Winchelsea’s eastern entrance, and an 8m high winged sculpture, Dusk, which marks the western entrance – was completed in March, 2020.
The work was jointly designed by Melbourne-based artist Ben Storch and late project partner Matthew Harding.
Mr Storch said everyone he had shown the design to “really liked it” and that the sculptures – installed on the Princes Hwy median strip – would bring a “signature vibrancy” to the landscape.
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur in 2019 likened the sculptures, before installation, to plastic garden rakes.
“They just look like 11 garden rakes from Bunnings,” she said.
“Really, $100 would see this out with a bit of paint and a paint brush.
“I think it’s an outrageous waste of money.”
Surf Coast Shire councillor Heather Wellington said in 2019 community members were strongly involved in assessing concepts for the sculptures and in choosing the final designs.
“Personally, I like the designs very much, but I do appreciate people have different tastes in art,” she said.
“One of the purposes of public art is to stimulate discussion.
“Perhaps we should wait until the sculptures are settled in before we make a final judgment.”
The project was mostly funded by Surf Coast Shire ratepayers, with the federal government and VicRoads contributing $50,000 each.
‘Oversized’ monarch’s head
A statue of King Edward VII in Geelong divided opinion in 2014, with some suggesting his head looked too big for his body.
The statue of the king was unveiled on a new plinth next to Customs House on Brougham St, complete with a new head, fashioned in Italy.
The statue had been headless for a number of years after it was vandalised at a council depot.
But while local history buff Mick Robinson welcomed the return of the statue at the time, he said he thought the head appeared too big compared to the rest of the statue.
“The head appears to be out of context with the body — whether that’s how it’s meant to be — that I don’t know,’’ he said.
A Geelong resident disagreed, saying “I don’t think there is anything abnormal about it”.
Giant knitted bowel
In August, 2022, a giant knitted bowel was installed at Geelong Library, and aimed to get people talking about bowel screening tests.
The project, by Cancer Council, called for all eligible Geelong residents to take part in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP).
The giant bowel consisted of 50km or 30kg of wool, and was created by hand in 2017 by six volunteers, including cancer survivor Claire Norman.
“The knitting itself and discussion around it helped to open conversations about bowel cancer, bowel issues and bowel testing,” Ms Norman said.
“We hope the same will happen in Geelong.
“It’s a chance for people here to find out more about the large bowel and to get an idea of what a polyp, a growth or a haemorrhoid looks like, even if it is crocheted.”
The NBCSP delivers free at-home screening kits to eligible Australians aged 50-74 years every two years.
Giant textile placenta
Geelong Library has been home to a few giant pieces of anatomy, with a giant placenta installed at the venue in November, 2019.
The 2.5m tall and 3m in diameter artwork was knitted using yarn from about 900 T-shirts, and took a team of women about three years to knit.
Artist Rebecca Vandyk created the artwork in honour of the “hidden work of women”.
The work also featured an umbilical cord which was about 12m long and attached to a hooded, bright red birthsuit made to resemble the foetal form.
The exhibit included health-related information about the placenta.
The penis seen from space
While it may not have been publicly funded, this “citizen artwork” of sorts did turn heads and get people talking.
In 2018, a Marcus Hill landowner and his friend stomped a 50m-long “artwork” of a penis into a dry lake bed at the back of his property.
The work became known as “the penis you can see from space” as news outlets from around the world caught on to the story, putting the Bellarine town on the map.
“The monumental member is so big it is visible from space, being picked up by Google’s satellite mapping,” the Addy wrote at the time.
Photos of the work eventually ended up on a popular Facebook page – Take the Piss Geelong – and it has gone down in the community in a kind of infamy.
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Originally published as ‘Pretty inappropriate’: Revisiting the art projects that have got Geelong talking
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