A controversial five-metre sculpture featuring a human face fused with a giant hand has been installed atop Hobart’s Henry Jones Hotel as part of the Dark Mofo festival lineup.
The artwork, titled ‘Quasi’, was created by New Zealand artist Ronnie van Hout and has already sparked divided opinions among locals after being hoisted into position this morning.
The towering sculpture, crafted from polystyrene, steel and resin, depicts van Hout’s unsmiling face on the back of a disembodied hand that stands on its index and ring fingers.
Quasi previously resided on the rooftops of Christchurch Art Gallery and City Gallery Wellington, where it earned descriptions ranging from “kinda creepy” and “really ugly” to “hideous” and “a Lovecraftian nightmare come to life”.
The name ‘Quasi’ plays on the prefix quasi-, meaning “almost” or “not really”, while also referencing Quasimodo, the misshapen protagonist from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Van Hout originally created the self-described “partial self-portrait” for Christchurch following the city’s devastating 2011 earthquake, where it remained for nearly three years before relocating to Wellington until November 2024.
New Zealand art critic Warren Feeny previously criticised the work, writing that “Quasi is a one-line joke” that offered “fun and mischief” but little else.
The installation in Hobart today coincides with the setup of Dark Mofo’s iconic red crosses along the waterfront.
Dark Mofo is running from June 5 to 21 this year.
