Otterness works best for me when his installations consist of many smaller castings of little creatures scrambling about in humourous situations, like in the New York subway system (the two pieces in the photo are just two of many) and in Rockefeller Park at Battery Park. The very round shapes he creates seem inherently humourous to me, and therefore work best when that aspect is stressed. Writ large, as the trio at 18 Yonge is, and in a more thoughtful pose, feels a bit off-message to me...
...but I still like his work.
The perfect subject for Otterness in this city would be a ferry-load of people heading over to the Toronto Islands for the day. If they ever move the Ferry Terminal, and have to spend some money on public art, they could do worse than to hire Otterness to adorn the place with his creatures. Having him there would indirectly give more context to the 18 Yonge piece too.
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