Artist Tanya Bub wanted to build a bridge of empathy between the street community and the rest of the city.
So she created Sitting with Grace, a colourful human figure made from paper, wire and up-cycled garbage that is also a kind of throne.
“I am using art as a way of opening doors and breaking down barriers — as a way of connecting,” said Bub. “We are all poorer without discovering the warmth and generosity that exists in the [street] community.”
Bub took the sculpture to various locations in Victoria where people in the un-housed community congregate, with a focus on Pandora Avenue. She used the sculpture as an ice breaker and conversation starter, encouraging people to sit on the throne and to ask questions at each stop.
She made them part of the piece, inviting them to contribute by leaving a message or drawing.
The statue is adorned with messages from the street community, from “Give peace a chance” to “Can you spare some change?”
“My goal is to give people an emotional experience with the hope of creating a bridge of empathy that changes the way they feel about people in our community who are experiencing homelessness,” said Bub.
The sculpture is one of the central pieces of a circus-themed art exhibit she calls The Greatest Show on Earth, featuring dozens of driftwood, cardboard and wire sculptures.
The project is a collaborative effort with Our Place Society and Haus of Owl, a “creation lab” for artists that provides studio spaces.
Ross Whelan and Eric Hinch, members of Haus of Owl, have filmed the interactions of the community with the sculpture and plan to produce a documentary about the process.
The Sitting with Grace sculpture will be on view at the Gage Gallery from Aug. 22 to Sept. 10, with a meet-the-artist reception 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 22 at the gallery, 19 Bastion Square.
There will be a by-donation screening of the Haus of Owl documentary on Sept. 9.
All donations collected from the screening and 25 per cent of sales of the pieces of the exhibit will go to Our Place Society.
