Cow up a tree upside down black & white cow sculpture against deep blue sky, Telstra Dome in background Docklands, Melbourne
Cow up a Tree, by sculptor John Kelly in 1999. The sculpture is made of 5 tones of sculpture is mostly described as surreal, weird and bizarre – all in an appreciative context This eight meters high sculpture adorns the waterfront of the Melbourne Docklands. It was inspired by an actual incident of a cow getting stuck in a tree during floods in Victoria. The artist used the image of the cow to create this piece. The sculpture is also a reminder of the violent floods in the Victoria region. This sculpture has been exhibited in The Hague, in Paris and now it has a permanent exhibition in Melbourne, on the Docklands Harbour Esplanade,opposite Etihad Stadium The cow’s distinctive shape references the portrait of Australian artist Joshua Smith by William Dobell, which won the 1943 Archibald Prize and was subject to the infamous court case during WWII where ‘art’ was put on trial. At that time, Dobell served as a ‘camouflage’ labourer, producing papier mache cows used to disguise airfields and fool Japanese pilots. Inspired by a flood that swept cattle into trees in Victoria’s Gippsland area, this work imagines a flood hitting Dobell’s airfield. John Kelly was born in the UK, studies in Australia and now lives in Ireland. He is quite famous for his sculptures in Australia. He has also used the cow theme in other sculptures too, around the world. Installed The first time in 2001 and then dismantled and reinstalled i
Size: 4500px × 3283px
Location: Docklands, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Photo credit: © Kirsty McLaren / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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