Banana art strikes again. In Melbourne, a 1.8-metre public sculpture has caused a stir among residents.
Fallen Fruit by Adam Stone is a large-scale piece on Rose Street in Fitzroy that features a skull carved into a peeled banana. It was paid for by Yarra Council, which spent $22,000 out of a $100,000 grant from the Transport Accident Commission.
After being unveiled on November 8, however, the artwork has divided opinion among residents, with some pointing out that the money for the piece could have been used for community services and local businesses. More recently, the sculpture was vandalised after somebody tried to saw it in half on Thursday.
“It was pretty surprising and upsetting to see the work so dramatically vandalised, but also there’s not much that can be done when the work is in the public arena … You have to just let go and put it out there,” Stone told Guardian Australia.
On Friday afternoon, he set out trying to patch up the work.
Stone studied at the Victorian College of the Arts and has shown his work in Australia and Asia. He has also been awarded the Montalto Sculpture Prize and Fiona Myer Award.
Stone said Fallen Fruit has a conceptual meaning.
“I was thinking about hubris in western society and our obsession with unsustainable excess and how this affects the environment,” he told Guardian Australia.
He also said: "My ambition was that people from a variety of backgrounds could find the work fun and engaging, and … perhaps consider the conceptual meaning of the work.”
The Transport Accident Commission has responded to people’s concerns, saying that it would be clearer on spending requirements in the future.
The controversy around Fallen Fruit recalls the stir caused by artist Maurizio Cattelan at Art Basel Miami Beach in late 2019. The artist, who is known for his unusual, tongue-in-cheek works, taped a banana to a wall and sold it for $120,000. A total of three editions, ranging up to $150,000, were sold at the fair that year.
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MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
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BMW M5 specs
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching