Picowso and Co bring new art moovement to town

By REBECCA WALSH

When Kylie Moonogue appeared on London streets in a sexy bra and knickers, she was not in the public eye for long. The lifesize fibreglass cow was found days later in a light-fingered admirer's backyard.

Now, the first of Moonogue's herd have arrived in Auckland for the CowParade, a novel public art event where the cow is the canvas.

The event - launched in Zurich in 1998 to attract tourists and now franchised by an American - aims to bring art to the streets while raising money for charity.

"The idea is to get to people who have not possibly been interested in art before ... by bringing art to the streets in a fun and unique way," said Liz Smith, marketing manager for Heart of the City.

Two-thirds of the 35 lazing, grazing and gazing $10,000 cows had already been sold to businesses.

Ms Smith said judges would soon choose the best 35 proposals from amateur and professional artists and by mid-January New Zealand versions of Picowso and Cowzilla would appear round the city.

Two big herds would grace the Viaduct and Aotea Square, with stragglers along Queen St. The cows would be tethered to concrete to stop them straying.

Ms Smith said it was a great opportunity for artists to go wild. "Mooma", the Museum of Modern Art's entry in New York, had been chopped up and made into a modern sculpture. IT firm Yahoo's entry, "Moo-mail", had a computer in its stomach.

After 3 1/2 months on the road, some of the cows, including a Team Moo Zealand cow decorated by our yachties, will be auctioned for charity.