Arts group loses fight to move tiles

The artistic merit of the mural has been debated. Picture / Richard Robinson

A last-ditch attempt by the arts community to move the tiled suffrage centenary memorial well away from the Auckland Art Gallery failed at a heated council meeting yesterday, with claims that the site in Khartoum Place is a "public urinal" and counter-claims of cultural snobbery.

Arts patron Jenny Gibbs and Elam School of Fine Arts professor Carole Shepheard turned up to the urban strategy and governance committee meeting to argue for the memorial's removal from the "front door" of the gallery, which is undergoing a $90 million revamp.

The pair politely declined to comment on the artistic merit of the tiled artwork, dismissed by local art dealer Gary Langsford last week as having no aesthetic merit and belonging "in a 1970s craft shop".

Jenny Gibbs said the arts community had always hoped Khartoum Place could be redeveloped along the lines of Rome's Spanish Steps, with a sweeping view from Lorne St to the art gallery and Albert Park.

She said Khartoum Place had no relationship to women's suffrage and a better site for the memorial would be Myers Park, where the suffragettes gathered before marching.

Carole Shepheard said the idea of keeping the memorial and building a second set of steps over the top of the 2000-tile mural and water feature was an ungainly compromise.

The removal of the memorial, part of a $2 million upgrade of Khartoum Place, has divided councillors. Penny Sefuiva, who sits on the art gallery board, slammed the siting of the memorial as "classic plonk art" and a "public urinal".

Richard Simpson said the face of suffragette leader Kate Sheppard was "on the largest public urinal in this city. It reeks. It stinks".

"The space does not work. It is dysfunctional and the armpit of this city," Mr Simpson said.

Councillor Cathy Casey took exception to the "cultural snobbery", saying the city mothers would be shuddering if they heard what people were saying about the memorial.

Committee chairman Bruce Hucker, who last week said he had the numbers to keep the memorial in Khartoum Place, only just had the numbers yesterday. An attempt by Penny Sefuiva and art gallery chairman Scott Milne to explore options to move the memorial was lost by four votes to five.

The committee then passed a resolution to investigate a second set of steps to provide a site line from Lorne St to the art gallery while keeping the memorial. If that was not possible, then Khartoum Place will simply be spruced up, with the mural and water feature kept intact.

The council, which has spent $147,000 on consultation and a design competition for Khartoum Place, will undertake more consultation on the proposed upgrade before making a final decision in April. 
 

How they voted

To keep the memorial in Khartoum Place
* Mayor Dick Hubbard
* Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker
* Cathy Casey
* Christine Caughey
* Glenda Fryer

Explore removing and relocating memorial
* Doug Armstrong
* Scott Milne
* Penny Sefuiva
* Richard Simpson