AN excavator teetering on top of an elaborate column may seem a bit incongruous. And that’s exactly the point.
Newport sculptor Robert Hague has been named a finalist in the $30,000 Montalto Sculpture Prize for his monument to the working-class battler.
Titled Monument, Hague’s piece is made from marine-grade stainless steel and gold paint. It looms almost three metres high.
On Friday, the sculpture was installed at Montalto Winery, in Victoria’s Red Hill wine region, where it and other sculptures are being displayed.
“It’s a bit of a play on the idea of old Victorian monuments,” Hague says of his entry.
“They had this hugely elaborate base and you usually had Queen Victoria or some general on top. It was a way of telling the serfs and society that this is something important; you should stand there in awe of it.
“So I put an excavator on top. The premise of the work is, ‘Why do we choose the monuments that we choose?’
“I guess it’s not particular to myself, but to me it represents the working man who, of course, is always overlooked in monuments,” Hague explains.
The prize is open to all artists working in any medium and aims to allow guests to enjoy the sculptures which remain at Montalto until the end of April.
The winning sculpture will be acquired by Montalto. Twenty-four artists are vying for the prize purse with the winner to be announced on February 17.
