John Landrigan pleases an expressionist artist with news of plans for an outdoor public art space that could rival Wellington's waterfront display.
Sean Chen's house is a gallery of glass, murals, sculptures and colour. But, unlike his striking artworks, not one utensil or vase is out of place, not a beam skewered nor wall lovingly distorted.
The Chinese expressionist painter and sculptor has called Auckland home since 1988, and he loves nothing better than to paint our landmarks.
"Moving here changed my eyes, changed my thinking. I have been to 50 countries but I love this country," he says.
Many of you may not yet recognise his name, but there's a good chance you will have seen his work, especially if you drove along Fanshawe St and marvelled at the 19 hand-painted, 19m-high soy sauce bottles that once adorned Gum Sarn Asian Supermarket.
A new book, Sean Chen - Auckland Landmarks, is in stores now and reveals many weird, wonderful and colourful depictions of our city.
"Everything comes from my heart and that's why I draw Auckland."
Soon, he and other artists may have a blank "canvas" on which to show off substantial creations that best depict Auckland.
Wynyard Quarter is a 36ha area from Fanshawe St north that includes land from Halsey St west to Beaumont St and the sea. It takes in Halsey St Wharf, Wynyard Wharf and Wynyard Pt.
Four and a quarter hectares of this space and another 2.4km public walkway around the coast, could become Auckland's outdoor art gallery, a space to match Wellington's popular waterfront art display.
Mr Chen was audibly excited when he heard about the plan from The Aucklander and will immediately contact the council about putting his sculptures in that space. He says he has wealthy benefactors keen to see more of his works on display in Auckland.
Auckland City Council and the Sea+City Projects, which is managing the scheme for Wynyard Quarter, are seeking artists' ideas.
This is great news for Aucklanders keen on art, given the disheartening - and pricey - failures that have dogged the city's recent art history.
In December 2009, The Aucklander revealed the 20m-high, 15m-wide Twister, which was to be the country's largest public artwork, was mothballed. The steel and neon tubing whirlwind was to be the signature piece for a much-heralded Viaduct Harbour Sculpture Walk that never came to fruition.
The council financed capital works, consultation, consent processes and project management, including engineering for more than 20 works of art, but achieved little. The council may have been gun-shy after lengthy Environment Court battles with residents over other works.
Gift of the Waves, by Susumu Shingu, was canned after a lengthy consent process and an appeal to the court from Viaduct residents concerned about its height.
Sea+City's project director, John Dalzell, says the Wynyard project will not have the same legal woes because, unlike the Viaduct, major art works will be built before the apartments.
Artists, he says, are welcome to submit ideas to Sea+City or to Auckland City Council. Mr Chen will be ringing his benefactors now, and knocking on those doors.
Public works
The Mountain Fountain water sculpture by Terry Stringer will be moved to the Holy Trinity Cathedral grounds in Parnell. The sculpture was removed from Aotea Square
in October 2008, because of the square's redevelopment.
Michio Ihara's metal kinetic piece, Wind Tree, in storage since it was removed from Britomart in 2002, will be going into Wynyard Quarter.
A Fort Lane light project - glowing red neon lights zig-zagging overhead from building to building - is still in the design phase.
New sculpture will be commissioned for a link-lane project in Sandringham.
Newmarket Art Trust has installed a new sculpture at Osborne and Teed streets, and Eden Art Trust has installed a new work in Essex Reserve.
