CANBERRA’s long love affair with talking about public art has had a new chapter added in Latin American Plaza with the launch last night (as covered in CityNews social pages) of Hugo Morales “The Encounter” by Chris Bourke.
A gift to the people of Canberra from the Government of Uruguay the piece has been constructed from steel left over in the building of the vast Palmar Dam over the mighty Rio Negro.
“This work of art created by Uruguayan artist Hugo Morales is significant to both Canberra and to Uruguay, given rivers and dams are the reference point for this piece,” Dr Bourke said.
“The site of Canberra as the national capital was dictated by the availability of water from the Cotter River, in this driest of continents. The damming of river and the hydro electric station was one of the earliest civil works to establish the city.
“The western edge of the city sits alongside the Murrumbidgee River part of the mighty Murray Darling River system, the third longest in the world.
“We are very proud to now have this sculpture in Canberra to tell a story of a different river system, the power of rivers, and the part rivers play in the lives of Uruguayans.”
One might note that in Uruguay the rivers’ importance stems from their vast size, where in the Canberra region the reverse holds true.
The Encounter is the fourth piece of art to grace Latin American plaza which, after a desolate start, is starting to be an interesting corner of the city.
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