Pt Leo Estate Unveils "Share" by KAWS
Pt. Leo Estate has revealed the latest acquisition to its 134-hectare estate on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, a 5.5-metre-tall sculpture by one of the world’s most talked about artists, the New York-based KAWS.
The three-dimensional artwork, SHARE 2020, is a larger-than-life figure cast in bronze and painted muted grey and brown, a palette exclusive to this sculpture. The character clasps a smaller, vivid blue-painted figure that often features in KAWS’ work, designated by the artist as the BFF (best friend forever). The artwork has been a Pt. Leo Estate project in-the-works for over 14 months and like other KAWS’ works, expresses the fragility of contemporary life in the ‘age of loneliness’.
KAWS, aka Brian Donnelly, is a Brooklyn-based artist known for his ‘pop-sculptures’ that are often monumental in size and imbued with a sense of humanity that is underscored by gentle humour. The NGV recently commissioned a major work by KAWS for their 2019 exhibition devoted to the artist.
Another recent acquisition, and only just unveiled in the foyer at Pt. Leo Estate, is Shrive II by UK artist, Anthony Gormley, most known for his colossal Angle of the North, a totemic standing figure with vast outstretched arms installed near Gateshead in England.
As with Angle of the North, most of Gormley’s sculptures are variations on the human form, often based on the sculptor’s own body. Shrive II, in cast iron, is from a series titled Ataxia and recalls human bodies in different attitudes. Gormley won the famous Turner Prize in 1992 was named 4th on The Daily Telegraph list of the ‘100 most powerful people in British culture’.
Both artworks couldn’t have been revealed at a better time as regional Victoria opens up and welcomes back locals and visitors.
Pt. Leo Estate’s General Manager, Roger Lancia, said: “The reveal of these latest two artworks comes as we again open our doors to the public. We look forward to sharing these incredible new pieces, our wine, food and of course, hospitality, which is always at the heart of what we do at Pt. Leo Estate.”
Pt. Leo Estate, set over 134 hectares on the southern-most tip of the Mornington Peninsula, is a world-class venue encompassing award-winning restaurants, Laura and Pt. Leo Restaurant, a Cellar Door and Wine Terrace and Australia’s foremost sculpture park, all with sweeping views over Western Port Bay.
Pt. Leo Estate Sculpture Park: 7 days from 11am to 5pm (free entry until Sunday 6 December)
Pt. Leo Estate Cellar Door: 7 days 11am to 5pm for take away wine sales only
Pt. Leo Restaurant: lunch 7 days from 12pm and dinner Thursday to Sunday from 6pm
For restaurant bookings phone the Estate or book online. Seating is limited due to current government restrictions.
Pt. Leo Estate
3649 Frankston-Flinders Road
Merricks, Victoria
03 5989 9011