Northcote’s All Nations Park home to second Golden Head statue
A strange statue which appeared in a popular Northcote park has developed a legion of fans flocking to take selfies. But it’s boom-or-bust time for the “guerrilla artist” behind the creation, urged to come forward to release it from council captivity.
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Authorities are racing to unravel the mystery of gold faced statues in a Northcote park.
The mysterious man, dubbed Golden Head by supporters, immediately made an impact on social media, attracting memes, jokes and never-ending questions.
Where he came from and who moulded him into the man he is today remains unknown, but adoring fans made the pilgrimage to the top of a hill in Northcote’s All Nations Park to pay tribute.
The Golden Head first appeared at the top of the mound about January 21.
The niche Facebook group the Northcote Plaza Appreciation Society took it upon themselves to figure out his mysterious appearance.
Theories ranged from the new Easter Island to a giant Pez dispenser, but nothing was confirmed.
His likeness was compared to Milos Raonic, Bruno Mars, David Bowie and even Ozymandias.
Regardless of celebrity, his rock-star status was cemented by his frequent visitors who adorned him with sunglasses, capes, denim jackets and Viking helmets, taking selfies to post online.
Tragedy struck on February 6 when followers arose to find he had fallen, pushed over in the middle of the night by unknown vandals.
He was quickly taped off and later removed by Darebin Council who deemed the artwork unsafe.
The council placed the monument in storage in Northcote under the watchful eye of the Bundoora Homestead curatorial team.
Northcote art aficionado Sean Whelan started a petition to ensure Golden Head is reinstated in his proper place.
As of 11am on February 28, 369 people had signed the petition.
Mr Whelan said he hoped the statue would go back in All-Nations Park given its popularity with the community.
“I can’t remember any kind of guerrilla art gaining this much traction and coverage and community awareness,” he said.
But the statue’s prophet-like status was confirmed on February 22, when pilgrims stumbled onto a new golden head buried in the ground.
Theories grew like wildfire, flinging hypotheticals of the Illuminati, a new Dan Brown novel or a real-life carbonite prison.
Mr Whelan said he believed people were so engaged with the mystery because of its ambiguity.
“It’s a bit of a blank canvas people can project their own feelings onto,” he said.
“I think it’s a very bold move by an artist who wanted to make a statement. It’s built its own identity because of the mystery.”
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Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie said the council had received support for the reinstatement of the statue but needed to speak to the artist to do so.
“There is a formal process for guerrilla art to be brought under council stewardship, and this is why we are asking for the artist to make contact with us,” she said.
“Without it, council will not be able to allocate funds for the statue’s reinstallation and ongoing maintenance.”.
The artist can remain anonymous if they wish, but must contact the council if the original statue is to be reinstated.