'Cursed' Statue Removed from City Roof After Years of Controversy: 'He's Going to The Hague'

After five years of controversy, the giant sculpture Quasi, a 16-foot hand with an unsmiling human face, will be removed from atop Wellington's City Gallery.

Sculpted by New Zealand-born artist Ronnie van Hout, Quasi has sparked mixed emotions, from horror and humor to admiration.

"This is either a great day for Wellington or a terrible day for Wellington and there's not much view in between," City council member Ben McNulty told AP News, adding that he personally felt "devastated" at its departure.

Installed in 2019, Quasi initially met strong resistance. "He arrived and I won't say the city unanimously hated him but I reckon 80% were like, 'What is this monster? What have we done?'" McNulty said.

Crafted from steel, polystyrene, and resin, named partly after Quasimodo from Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the installation symbolized "the artist's hand made giant," according to van Hout. Van Hout, who based the piece off of scans of his own hand and face, responded to Wellington's early criticism of his creation.

"Perhaps the monster just wants to be loved," van Houten suggested.

The statue's arrival coincided with a series of earthquakes and subsequent building issues, increased political division and just preceded the Covid-19 epidemic, leading some to accuse Quasi of cursing the city.

However, over time, some of the city softened to Quasi. "It's really disturbing but it's a staple of Wellington now," said Anja Porthouse, who told AP she brought friends and family to visit the art installation.

Its removal leaves what Wellington Sculpture Trust's Jane Black described as a "Quasi-shaped hole on our civic skyline."

The city's mayor, Tory Whanau, is among those celebrating its departure to an undisclosed Australian location. "I'll personally be pleased to see it head somewhere else for a change," he told AP. "I think there's a strong feeling of relief."

Meanwhile, rumors about Quasi's next stop abound, with one social media user joking, "He's going to The Hague."