Life-size sculptures of celebrities with animal heads are ready for their close-ups in Bankstown
The Daily Telegraph
Alexandria public artists and husband and wife team Gillie and Marc Schattner attended the hectic unveiling last Wednesday and said they were delighted with the reception at their Bankstown debut.
The excited reaction of shoppers to the red-carpet sculptures of celebrities sporting the heads of four-legged creatures tapped into a theme in their collection, The Celebrity Animal.
The sculptures include Arnold ‘Stag’ Schwarzenegger, Pamela ‘Poodle’ Anderson, Dr ‘Bear’ Evil, Michael ‘Dog’ Jackson and Jessica Rabbit.
“Everyone has a fascination with celebrity but it’s difficult to get close and engage them, so we came up with the hybrid idea so they could have that feeling of a little bit of fame,” Gillie said.
Marc said they were also parodying celebrity culture.
“Celebrities are the new royalty and shopping centres are the new galleries of the world,” he said.
The collection “asks to re-evaluate our relationships with celebrities and put them into context.”
The duo considered which animal would suit which star, for instance the head of a stag, as an alpha male leader of the herd, suited the musclebound body of Schwarzenegger known for his body building, acting and political careers.
Shoppers can win their own Orange Lolly Dogman sculpture, displayed at the information desk, or vouchers by taking a photo of themselves with one of the sculptures and using the hashtag #bankstownfamous on Instagram.
Weekly prizes will be awarded to the contestants who best capture the essence of their chosen celebrity until the display ends on April 30.
SHOPPERS stopped in their tracks in Bankstown Central and jostled for selfies when seven life-size sculptures of celebrities with a quirky difference were unveiled.