Green Square: new Tobias Rehberger sculptures spark mixed opinions

A $1.7 million plan for four new fibreglass sculptures resembling the sun has been met with mixed opinions and calls for money to be instead be spent on fixing local roads and potholes.

Plans for a series of new art installations in the rapidly growing suburb of Green Square have left critics raising eyebrows over the project’s price tag and decision to award the design contract to an overseas artist.

The City of Sydney is pushing ahead with a $1.7 million proposal to build four sculptures standing up to 12m tall featuring yellow globes attached to brightly coloured light poles along Zetland Ave.

The artworks are designed to resemble the sun and will be programmed to periodically ‘rise’ and ‘set’ to reflect sunrise at four locations around the world including Antarctica, Panama, the Lakes District in England and Xinjiang in China.

A concept plan of one of the sculptures at Green Square

The $300,000 contract to build the fibreglass globe sculptures was awarded to German artist Tobias Rehberger following a design competition process back in 2015.

The council said the project’s reference to England and China would represent “Green Square residents’ countries of origin” and “remind us that we all live under the same sun.”

City of Sydney Liberal councillor Shauna Jarrett believes the money could be better spent elsewhere.

The public art will be positioned along Zetland Ave.

“We have a cost of living crisis and issues in the city that need to be prioritised right now such as people not coming back to the CBD full time for work and the overall effect that’s having on businesses,” she said.

“We shouldn’t be spending that sort of money on an artwork – particularly now when the council needs to be proactive working with businesses, residents and the State and Federal government to get the City of Sydney back on track.

“I’ve got no problem with interesting art but there should be more focus on the things happening now.

“The council constantly talks about getting local artists and indigenous artists involved at a local level and I think there could be more of an effort to showcase local artists rather than awarding a contract to an international artist.”

The proposal has been met with mixed reactions from residents including Luke Bardsley, who runs a local community Facebook page and works as the director of a property management company in Green Square.

“There’s been so much development in Green Square so (the sculptures) could give the area a bit of identity and help people to get their eyes away from the concrete jungle,” he said.

Councillor Shauna Jarrett believes the money could be better spent.

Artist Tobias Rehberger. Photo: Instagram.

“But when you look at the pressing issues, the council should be putting more money into roads rather than art because the roads around here are shocking – there are potholes everywhere – I’ve gone through so many tyres – and it’s like driving in a third world country.”

Council figures show the $1.7 million project cost would cover a $300,000 artist fee that includes technical support for engineering and lighting design.

The project will cost $1.7 million.

The remaining $1.4 million would bankroll fabrication and installation costs contracted by the council during construction.

The council said an open expression of interest was held in 2015 available to local, national and international artists and “the evaluation panel recommended Tobias Rehberger as the artist with the strongest proposal” from an initial field of 64 submissions.

In its plans, the council said the project “will bring the world’s sunshine to Green Square” and

“promote the vibrancy, viability and community wellbeing” of the community.

“The budget is comparable to other artworks of a similar scale,” a council spokeswoman said.

“The City of Sydney is proud to ensure creativity is embedded in Green Square’s public spaces, enhancing liveability and community cohesion in one of Australia’s largest urban renewal precincts.”

Green Square had undergone a development boom.

In an artist’s statement, Rehberger said the sculptures were designed to play “with romantic notions and aspiration for far away and exotic places”.

“It triggers one’s imagination of the far while at the same time creating awareness of the actual site,” he said.

“It (also) deals with history and community by connecting us with different places in the world by showing us different views of this one big object that is so essential to our lives and brings us together under its light: the sun.”

A concept plan of one of the sculptures.

The sculptures – known as ‘Here is Here. And Everywhere’ – will be located at Green Square Library Plaza, on the corner of Joynton Ave and Zetland Ave, Woolwash Park and 14a Defries Ave, Zetland.

The City of Sydney said its current budget includes $530 million worth of expenditure to support the city’s post-Covid recovery.

“Much of the 2022/23 operating budget will be used to help businesses and communities bounce back from the pandemic, as well as maintain facilities, parks and open spaces,” a council spokeswoman said.