- By Amelia Drew

Canberra’s CBD has been unknowingly hijacked. The culprits are miniature art installations. You Are Here have invited a range of artists to create, and distribute, small artworks around the city centre. This comes as a reaction to the millions spent on bigger public artworks which often seem out-of-place, and are laughed at by visitors to our Capital (the giant sculpture known as Optimus Prime’s pubic hair, along the GDE, springs to mind).

The shame Canberrans have felt for so long, over these embarrassing artworks, is over! Petite Public Art flies against the traditional, and takes its viewers to a new level of appreciation and respect. Armed with only a map, the art must be hunted down. But be warned, the map acts only as a rough guide, and while the hints from the artists are vitally helpful, you may draw a few odd looks from those not in the know.

Yolande Norris, one of the producers of You Are Here, described searching for the artworks as “looking like you’ve lost your marbles… Looking under park benches”. This I soon found to be true, as I wandered down alleys, rummaged in pot plants, and peered into tree tops. But I’ve not had as much fun, looking like I’d escaped a mental asylum, since I was a child on an Easter egg hunt. The thrill of suddenly spotting a tiny creation is like seeing a hidden chocolate egg! You’ve won! But with the triumph of finding a piece, comes the disappointment of realising what you thought was an artwork, is actually just a half-eaten finger bun. But it is seeing that finger bun, staring at the beer bottle, and judging the artistry of a tap, which is truly the art in this whole endeavour. This project enables us to look, and see Canberra like we’re seeing it for the first time.

But when a finger bun can be mistaken for art, what is the expected quality of the art? The answer is modest, but revolutionary in its simplicity. The beauty of the art comes from appreciating the materials used, the creative position of each piece, and in the joy it takes to find them.

Unfortunately as I delighted in the treasure hunt of Petite Public Art, I was reminded of the darker side to Canberra. Disappointingly some of the art works have been ‘acquired’ by more greedy members of the public. The artworks that can no longer be shared due to this destructiveness are a terrible loss.

So before the all the art is pilfered, I urge those who wish to enjoy a change of direction for Canberra, and see art that is beautiful in is simplicity, and captive in its creativity, then visit the Canberra Museum and Gallery soon to pick up your map, and go hunting.  Good luck!