By Ali Ikram
After over three years of operating from temporary accommodation and an investment of more than $100 million, the Auckland Art Gallery is finally opening its doors.
When the gallery opens in ten days it will be bringing art to the masses – an aim shared by one of its new exhibits.
Danish artist Jeppe Hein created what he calls ‘Long Modified Bench Auckland’ to reflect on how benches, whether or not we notice them, shape the way a public space is used.
The artwork is unusually accessible, allowing visitors to sit on and directly interact with the art.
In his short time in New Zealand Jeppe Hein has had three massages – relevant because in what he calls his ‘first life’, doing up to 30 shows and flying 150 times a year, he became burnt out and took a year off to recover.
His visit to New Zealand is the first major travel he has undertaken in what he calls his second life.
The work, which is funded by a private arts trust, will be at the gallery for three years, but negotiations are already underway to keep it in Auckland longer than that.
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