Display is turning heads
Roadside windmills a nod to Dutch-Kiwi sculptor
Anew sculpture/artwork has appeared on the road into Foxton Beach, making local tongues wag. Erected under cover of darkness late last week the brightly coloured windmills are apparently delighting locals, if Facebook posts are anything to go by.
Supposedly the work of an ‘anonymous gang’ of locals, whose sole motive is to delight and surprise travellers, one of the few things this group wanted to make public is that they have named this installation Attractions Nearby.
They also let it slip that the installation is made from 90 per cent recycled materials and is a tribute to Dutch-Kiwi artist Leon Van Den Eijkel, his colourful Mondriaan inspired sculptures, his connection and generosity to Oranjehof — the Dutch Connection Museum in Foxton, and the people of the local community.
The windmills, the simply child toy variety, not the Dutch ones that pump water or mill flour, are a nod to several of Van den Eijkel’s windmill inspired scultures, one is part of the Didsbury Arts Trail, in Hobsonville Point, Auckland, and another can be found in Avalon Park, Lower Hutt, though both of those are towering, whereas the ones pointing to him on the road into Foxton beach are small, but equally colourful.
Van den Eijkel was born in the Netherlands in 1940 and studied at The Hague Royal Academy of Art from 1958 to 1963. He immigrated to New Zealand in 1986.
The sudden appearance of those small windmills is making many locals smile and the folk behind it are hoping that their artwork will inspire many to follow their artistic nod to a fellow artist and prompt visits to the Oranjehof Museum to admire some of Van den Eijkel’s artwork on display there.
Many Kiwis are familiar with Van Den Eijkel’s work, which is showcased across Aotearoa. The Urban Forest at Cobham Drive on the Kilbirnie waterfront, The Smiling Windmills at Avalon Park in Lower Hutt, and The Geometric Totem Pole at the Brick Bay Sculpture Trail in Auckland are among his most recognised work. He named his bold colours the Pacific Palette.
Leon died just days before an exhibition and showcase of his work and life was due to open at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom in Foxton mid-April 2021. The exhibition was curated by Oranjehof.
If you have been delighted by the replica windmills, Attractions Nearby, please continue to enjoy them and visit the Dutch display at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom by the windmill in Foxton where you can see and enjoy other works by Leon Van Den Eijke and find out why some local artists have installed an anonyous nod to this artist and his work.