Perhaps this is why the denizens of Gold Coast City Council are such a creative bunch.Who can forget the giant silver ferns, commissioned at great expense, which were to be installed four years ago in Surfers Paradise?Actually, council can – they still languish in storage despite costing a six-figure sum.Or the work of the Gateways Public Art Commission, which promised to deliver “iconic gateways to the Gold Coast that are as visually bold, expressive and memorable as the city itself” – and somehow ended up providing us an expensive jumble of malfunctioning light poles at Yatala.NED-3269 Gold Coast Download Newsletter BannerThe latest artwork promoted by council – a sculpture at the entrance to the new HOTA art gallery – is also proving controversial.There is a common theme to all three pieces.The ferns, reminiscent of the Kiwi national symbol, were designed and built in Cork, Ireland by a chap called Alex Pentek before being shipped to the Coast.The Yatala lights were created by an Italian artist called Ada Tolla who lives and works in New York.The HOTA sculpture is the work of Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, a Sri Lankan-born artist who calls Sydney home. And as Mayor Tom Tate reminded us yesterday, despite its prominent place at HOTA, for some reason it was commissioned by the Melbourne Art Foundation.There appears to be little clear link to the Gold Coast with any of them, bar the fact they wind up displayed in prominent places here.FULL DIGITAL ACCESS: JUST $1 FOR FIRST 28 DAYSIt reminds this column a little of what happened with Festival 2018 – the Commonwealth Games Arts and Culture program organised by the state government.The festival brought artists from all over the country to the Gold Coast, while many locals missed out. The result? A damp squib that saw “disappointingly small” crowds turn out as locals gave the event a miss.In all of these cases, locals have largely been overlooked. They shouldn’t be. There is no shortage of great talent in this city.Their work is all around us. Only last weekend, your columnist spotted a stunning piece hanging behind the reception of the Mercure Gold Coast Resort in Carrara. Upon inquiring, I learnt that it was painted by Worongary artist Janelle McQueen. One wonders if Ms McQueen’s connection with the area is part of the reason her art has such resonance.NED-2822-GCB-APPAlso created by a local was probably the Gold Coast’s most popular public artwork, the Kirra Eagle, which was crafted by Coolangatta artist Craig Medson in 1984.Before his sad passing in 2015, Mr Medson wrote his aim was “to create sculptures that emit an aura of beauty, of harmony, balance and peace” – something he certainly achieved at Kirra.Can we say the Yatala lights achieved anything similar?The point is a simple one: commissioning work from elsewhere has been a monumental failure. The next time council or its agencies go looking for major public artworks, they should give local artists who know and love this city a go.Or is that too much like “good sense”[email protected] follow Keith Woods



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