I was at the event, it was great!
http://www.mississauga.com/what's%20on/article/1256865--public-art-recalls-area-s-past#Comments
Joseph Chin | Dec 05, 2011 - 10:53 AM
Public art recalls area’s past
Cityzen Development Group and Fernbrook Homes gave Mississauga the Marilyn Monroe towers, which put the city firmly on the global architectural map.
Now the developers have given Mississauga a piece of public art created by an internationally-renowned sculptor.
The work, which features the image of three horses in dynamic poses, stands at the base of the Marilyn Monroe condos, part of the five-tower Absolute World community located on the northeast corner of Hurontario St. and Burnhamthorpe Rd.
Called Buen Amigo, which translates into “Good Friend,” the sculpture was created by Francisco Gazitua, one of Chile’s foremost artists, with a career spanning more than 40 years, and a member of the Belgian Royal Academy of Arts. Gazitua was a former professor of sculpture at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London, England as well as the former head of the sculpture department at Universidad Finnis Terrae in Santiago, Chile.
It's Mississauga’s first privately-commissioned public art.
“We knew we wanted this urban art exhibit, or urban work, to create a physically and visually engaging series of elements that would enhance and animate the Absolute community. Buen Amigo certainly achieves all of these things. This sculpture brings vibrancy and a sense of connection between the street, the plaza and the building,” Paulo Stellato, a partner with Cityzen, told the gathering during last Friday’s unveiling.
Gazitua wasn’t there for the ceremony, but he sent a statement.
“With all of my sculptural work, I seek to connect with the nature and character, including the historical character, of its site,” he said. “With the Absolute, I see an opportunity to address one of my great passions as a sculptor — the horse. Emerging from what were once farmer’s fields, there is an agrarian aspect to the history of the site. This recollection of the past in a modern way serves to contrast the contemporary city that is growing around it.”
While the horses are representative of what came before, the modern form of the horses echoes the twist and geometry of the buildings, he noted.
Mayor Hazel McCallion said the work is a symbolic nod to the downtown core’s past. She recalled that when she looked outside her office window in the former City Hall 33 years ago, she would see horses and cows grazing in the fields.
“Back then it was truly farmland and very rural, so I’m delighted this piece of public art represents horses,” she said.
Ed Sajecki, the City’s commissioner of planning and building, noted that both the Marilyn Monroe towers and the sculpture were the result of international design competitions. Gazitua was one of three finalists selected to develop the urban work. The others were Studio Roso, of London, England, and Toronto’s Pierre Poussin.
“The (building) project was a game-changer for Mississauga ... this public art is a game-changer as well,” said Sajecki.
jchin@mississauga.net
