Celebrity animals thrill at centre

Local News Plus

Award winning contemporary artists Gillie and Marc will be unveiling their latest sculpture exhibition, The Celebrity Animal, at Bankstown Central today (Wednesday, April 1) at 11am in the Fashion Gallery (Level 2).

Comprising seven life-sized sculptures, the exhibition features the bodies of major celebrities, past and present, and the heads of a variety of animals plus the infamous Paparazzi Dog.

The sculptures include Arnold ‘Stag’ Schwarzenegger, Pamela ‘Poodle’ Anderson, Dr ‘Bear’ Evil, Michael ‘Dog’ Jackson, and Jessica Rabbit.

Husband and wife duo Gillie and Marc are best known for their iconic hybrid characters, Dogman and Rabbitgirl, which have proved an enormous success and are currently on display in Australia and overseas.

According to Gillie, the celebrity Animal exhibition has taken their work into an entirely new direction and required careful consideration in choosing which animal would best reflect each of the celebrities.

“Sculpture has traditionally captured the heroes of the moment so when a celebrity reaches iconic status eventually a statue will be dedicated to them,” Gillie said.

“The difficult task was to choose animals that would go to the heart of each of these celebrities as a person, not necessarily just how the public perceives them.”

In conjunction with the exhibition is the opportunity for shoppers to win their own Orange Lolly Dogman sculpture or one of four $100 Myer gift vouchers. Entrants take a shot of themselves with one of the sculptures and upload it to Instragram via#bankstownfamous, with prizes awarded to the contestants who best capture the essence of their chosen celebrity.

Also on offer will be a free Napoleon Perdis Makeover on the launch day, 11am-2pm. Bookings are essential and can be made by calling 9793 2043.