By Casey Neill
“I hope people will take it to their hearts and start enjoying it.”
Artist Anne Ross was excited to see her colourful, playful sculpture “where it belongs, where it’s been made for” in Dandenong Market’s Market Square.
The unveiling of the abstract, life-sized bronze figure on Friday 4 November closed three months of celebrations for Dandenong Market’s 150th birthday.
“Market Square receives over 100,000 visitors every week and was the perfect site for a bold and iconic artwork to celebrate our 150th birthday,” market chairwoman Julie Busch said.
Ms Ross’s concept was among three short-listed for the statue, commissioned by the market with support from Creative Victoria and the City of Greater Dandenong.
“The panel connected with the idea of having a work that honours our history as a market, without being too literal,” Ms Busch said.
“Anne’s concept stood out for its playfulness.
“We’re anticipating that it will engage a very broad demographic of market visitors, regardless of age, race and religion.”
Ms Ross said she grew up knowing the Queen Victoria Market very well.
“Dandenong Market has a very similar feeling,” she said.
“With my public sculptures, I work in a representational way.
“I always want my work not to be read … there’s not a definitive narrative with them so they can be read on different levels.”
She said it was important to her to select an asexual figure for the piece so that men, women and children could all relate to it.
Ms Ross said the figure’s mask and animal feet were about bringing childhood imagination back into everyday living.
“The animal mask was a reference to it being a market, and also deeper than that is how we all mask ourselves, but more playful than that,” she said.
Larger than life, shiny, brightly-coloured apples accompany the figure at ground level, ready for visitors to touch and explore.
Ms Ross also introduced the glossy, colourful automotive paint to the figure itself.
“I wanted it to be colourful and fun,” she said.
“I want children to be engaged with the sculpture.”
She said viewers would take “whatever they want” from viewing the statue and it was designed to start discussion.
“There are bits of discovery,” she said.
The market kicked off its 150th birthday festivities on 13 September by launching the Dandenong Market: Celebrating 150 Years book and opening Rosling Lane, a 20-metre historical mural.
The book and the wall – named after early market auctioneer Thomas Rosling – document significant moments in the market’s history using photographs and records.
Author Michael Schmith had just six weeks to prepare the 128-page hardcover book to capture the market’s evolution through original photographs and historical records.
“The best thing was to come to the market and talk to the people who matter the most, and the people who matter the most in the market are the traders and the customers,” he said.
“You see how it works and you see this whole spirit of community which, like its produce, is fresh daily.
“It depends on people. It’s not a supermarket. It’s not a shopping mall.
“It’s got give and take and a community spirit that’s unquenchable.”
The book is available from the Dandenong Market management office for $30.
Ms Ross will host an artist talk in Market Square at 10am on Tuesday 8 November.
