Some of Adelaide’s weird, wild, controversial and amazing public artwork and sculptures

With new public art at Christies Beach sending social media comments into overdrive, we decided to look at some of the other wild, weird and amazing sculptures around the city.

With new public art at Christies Beach sending social media comments into overdrive, we decided to look at some of the other wild, weird and amazing scultuptures around the city.

In Adelaide, we love a good argument over new public art.

Take this week’s latest entry into the category of controversial sculptures – ‘Oops’, the ice cream artwork on Beach Rd at Christies.

It ties in perfectly with its beach theme, it’s bright and you just can’t miss it,

Like any good public sculpture, it has people talking about whether it’s art or not and going straight for the main question – how much it cost.

So we went and had a look for some of Adelaide’s wild, weird, amazing and just-straight-out controversial public art – presented here without judgment.

Blackfriars Priory School statue

The “suggestive” statue at Blackfriars Priory School in 2017 made headlines across the globe – its unintentionally provocative design showed St Martin de Porres handing a young boy a loaf of bread, which appears to have emerged from his cloak. It was quickly covered up – and removed.

The Blackfriars Priory School statue, which was quickly covered up and removed.

The Sesquipedalian Sea Squirt. Picture City of Holdfast Bay

Glenelg’s Sesquipedalian Sea Squirt

In 2021, a multi-coloured, illuminated sculpture that lit up and squirted water when visitors got close raised eyebrows in Glenelg – but many said the surrealist art fulfilled its intended purpose.

The 3m tall, Sesquipedalian Sea Squirt was designed to “arouse curiosity”, Hills artist Michael Kutschbach said. It was part of a $3m Chapel Plaza redevelopment.

‘Motion’

It’s an unusable ‘bike rack’ that’s actually an artwork part of a bike-themed art trail. Made in 2013, it disappeared from the Festival Centre during upgrades but was restored earlier this year – confusing people who thought it was just a badly designed rack to keep bikes safe. It’s understood about three artworks were created by the artist for the trail at about $15,000 each.

Cyclist David Apps with Motion, the bike art installation. Picture: Matt Loxton

Murray Bridge Piano Sanctuary

Originally two pianos at Carey’s Park, on Mannum Road, in 2022 the Murray Bridge Council won a $5000 grant to allow the artist Jesse Budel to expand it to eight pianos along the reserve. The piece is intended to slowly decay over time.

Part of Murray Bridge's Piano Sanctuary public artwork.

Splash, by Finnish artist Sakari Peltola is in Littlehampton.

Public artwork in Mount Barker called Hydris by French artist Xavier Gonzalez, part of the Adelaide Hills Sculpture Trail.

The ‘Splatue’ and Hydris

Near Mount Barker as part of the Adelaide Hills Sculpture Trail – which includes 26 artworks across the Hills and Fleurieu, Hydris has long raised eyebrows. Artist Xavier Gonzalez says it’s a “language with cells”. Meanwhile, Splash – aka the Splatue – in Littlehampton by Finnish artist Sakari Peltola is about a moment “frozen forever still”.

Another one called ‘Prickly 3’ is on Gawler St in Mt Barker, by artist Jaya Schuerch.

Hills Sculpture: 'Prickly 3'. Picture: Peter Hoare

Unnamed

Margel Hinder’s sculpture outside the Telstra building in Waymouth St is partly obscured today by trees but has been there for years, passed by hundreds of people every day.

Hinder was considered radical and experimental and the sculpture was created at the peak of her career in 1972. Who commissioned it and how much it cost is unknown.

The Margel Hinder sculpture outside the Telstra building in Waymouth St

Chimpanzee Finger, the bronze sculpture by Lisa Roet situated at the entrance forecourt to Adelaide Zoo. Picture: Andrew O'Grady

Chimpanzee Finger

Lisa Roet’s giant bronze Chimpanzee Finger outside Adelaide Zoo cost $60,000 and was unveiled in 2011. It’s designed to highlight the index finger – which, with the thumb, is what “defines us from other species of animal”, the artist said.

Gawler’s war memorial

The stunning war memorial in Pioneer Park, Gawler, was created by artist Robert Hannaford with a $170,000 grant in 2018. The 4m-long, 1.6m-high bronze sculpture of a human hand is designed to show a hand can be “given in friendship” used to comfort, console, condemn and hurt, Paul Little, RSL Gawler Sub-Branch President said.

The new war memorial in Pioneer Park, Gawler. Picture: Paul Ashenden

The Heart of Industry

Unveiled in 2023, the cluster of grapes in McLaren Vale had immediate detractors – some describing it as looking like a “large purple haemorrhoid”. However, the 5m artwork celebrates McLaren Vale “as the heart of the South Australian wine industry”.

The Heart of Industry, a 2023 sculpture in McLaren Vale. Picture: Vicky Lamonby

Lie of the Land

On the either side of Sir Donald Bradman Drive near West Terrace, the public art by Aleks Danko and Jude Walton, was opened in 2004 and invokes Aboriginal “wurleys” or huts as seen in early European drawings. It’s an assortment of 25 dome-like / beehive shaped stone structures.

Part of Lie of the Land. Picture: Andrew O'Grady

The Fossil Forest sculpture at Glen Osmond.

Fossil Forest

Is the name a wry commentary on the cars heading down the South-Eastern Freeway and the massive servo it’s right beside? Either way, when the sculpture at the top of Glen Osmond Rd was introduced in 2000 people commented on the resemblance to missiles and rockets – maybe missing the point about the loss of trees.

Designed and co-ordinated by Tony Bishop, was commissioned by the state government as part of the Gateway to Adelaide project, along with the fountain on the other side of the road.

Adelaide City Council has a great interactive map that records all the public art in the city – see it here.

Originally published as Some of Adelaide’s weird, wild, controversial and amazing public artwork and sculptures