Overview
Homer Simpson is coming to Sydney. He's a cartoon character, so obviously there's a twist. Thanks to The Other Art Fair Sydney, the doughnut-loving, Duff beer-drinking, "doh!"-exclaiming animated dad is making an appearance as part of a sculpture called Homer Homer, which'll be on display between Thursday, March 18–Sunday, March 21.
This isn't any old likeness of the character, though. Rather, it's a five-metre-tall inflatable version. And, it combines his yellow-hued face with that of another famous Homer: the Ancient Greek poet, who is presumed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey.
The top half, including those sparse strands of hair, is all Simpson. The bottom half is inspired by a bust of his namesake. So, it really does look like a huge statue. Combined together, the piece is the work of Cool Shit, which has a history of toying with popular culture in big, blow-up works.
If you've seen The Rock Rock — which combines Dwayne Johnson's face with a massive monolith — you'll know what the aptly titled Homer Homer is all about. Or, you might've heard of Snoop Dogg Hot Dogs, which pairs up the hip hop star with a fast food staple. Other Cool Shit pieces include Nicolas Cage in a Cage, Tina Turner Prize and Happy Kanye, because being playful is definitely part of the remit here.
Clyde Yee
At The Other Art Fair, Homer Homer is on the event's public program, which also includes drop-in drawing classes thanks to Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School, Marc-O-Matic turning static imagery into experiential art, Shannon Crees creating a digital animated artwork live and Ink Sphinx doing tattoos onsite.
And yes, it has been a busy few months for super-sized odes to pop culture. Clearly, if a giant Borat statue can take over Bondi Beach and an 18-storey portrait of Nicole Kidman can hover above Darlinghurst, then a huge sculpture of Homer Simpson is just the next step.
Homer Homer will be on display at The Other Art Fair Sydney, which is taking place at The Cutaway at Barangaroo, from Thursday, March 18–Sunday, March 21.
Top image: Shey Simon Laplanche.