Perth Voice Interactive

A WHO’S who of Perth’s art scene has banded together to try and convince Perth council to repair the iconic Ore Obelisk statue and not put a gifted US artist’s work in its place.

Ore Obelisk, also colloquially known as The Kebab, was designed by Perth’s first city planner Paul Ritter as a celebration of WA’s mining industry and had been in Stirling Gardens since 1971. It was removed in 2021 over concerns that some of the composite minerals that make up its design were falling apart and creating a hazard.

Leading the charge to save Obelisk from being consigned to oblivion is former City of Perth arts officer Helen Curtis, who has created an online petition and formed the group Save the Kebab.

Ms Curtis said the city’s decision to put the gifted statue Boonji Spaceman from US artist Brendan Murphy in its place showed deep disrespect for Perth’s cultural identity.

The council accepted the statue in June last year, a precursor to an exhibition by Murphy at Gullotti Galleries in the city later this year.

“Ore Obelisk is a landmark piece of Western Australian history that recognises the importance of the mining industry to the State,” Ms Curtis said.

“Boonji Spaceman is a generic, mass-produced sculpture with no connection to our people or place.

“This isn’t about rejecting new art.

“It’s about respecting and preserving art that tells Perth’s story. 

“The City’s arts policies are designed to preserve and maintain significant public artworks, engage local artists, and ensure transparency in acquisitions. Boonji Spaceman fails on all counts.”

Petition

As the Voice went to print the petition had garnered 669 signatures, including newish Edith Cowan University chancellor Gaye McMath who spent a stint as a commissioner at the City of Perth following the suspension of its council.

Ms McMath, who was also a board members of the state’s Chamber of Arts and Culture, urged the council to reconsider.

“The ore obelisk is an icon of Perth. It is an important work which reflects our history,” Ms McMath said.

DesignFreo founder Pippa Hurst echoed Ms Curtis’s comments about having Boonji Spaceman in its place, bluntly expressing what many in the arts community have been muttering under their breath about giving commercial artists free kicks.

“It’s an affront to accept a ‘free’ artwork that functions primarily to promote the artist, and then pay $250k for the install!” Ms Hurst said.

“Ore Obelisk” is a site-specific artwork that is intrinsically linked to the city, its people and our collective memory. 

“The curation of the city’s art should follow the agreed procurement policy designed to ensure we get work of enduring meaning and quality, made primarily by local artists. 

“That’s what gives cities their identity. 

“A statue that sits in a resort in Antigua does not belong in Stirling Gardens next to Council House. 

“Unless there’s a plan to turn Council House into a neon-lit hotel… ‘Save the Kebab’ and don’t turn our city into a second-rate theme park.”

Ms Curtis pointed out in a Save the Kebab press release that a 2021 structural report costed restoration of the statue at $118,000, less than half Boonji’s installation costs. She disagreed with the council’s rationale that the installation was a small price for a world-class sculpture which would attract people to the city.

“This isn’t just about one artwork,” she said.

“It’s about the thread of history that runs through our city and records its evolution. Perth deserves quality public art that amplifies our stories and supports our artists, not pieces parachuted in for Instagram.”

The City of Perth wouldn’t put a name to the responses it provided to the Chook’s questions, but that’s hardly surprising as they were mostly ignored except for the fact Obelisk is still held in storage.

Not answered was whether the decision to scrap the statue or accept Murphy’s offer had been run past its Arts Advisory Committee.

The City did say that Stirling Gardens was only intended as a temporary location for Boonji Spaceman, which may eventually make its way to Elizabeth Quay.

“The Ore Obelisk was removed in 2021 following advice from engineers that it was unsafe and posed a risk to public safety,” the response said.

“Large sections of rock had fallen from the structure. The extent of the work that needs to be carried out on this artwork is significant. 

“The City has been advised by engineers that, given the artwork’s age and current state, it requires full replacement or major refurbishment works. 

“This includes replacing all of the conglomerate rock elements.

“The decision to accept a 7m tall Boonji Spaceman, valued at US$1 million, as a gift from US artist Brendan Murphy was a decision made by Council in June 2024. Accepting the Boonji Spaceman statue as a gift does not contradict the City’s public art policies.”

Former Perth lord mayor Basil Zempilas had enthused about Boonji Spaceman’s relevance to Perth when accepting the gift, with the artist saying he’d been inspired to make the gesture after hearing about astronaut John Glenn’s description of the city’s lights as he orbited the Earth in 1962.

by STEVE GRANT