Elegance & Vibrancy of Life: Art by Oberhauser

NEWEST SCULPTURE: DIVERSITY

The artist's concept + design for the  Salmon Run Project.

Media release about the sculpture Diversity:

Online U of T Mississauga Magazine Archived (Spring 2012 edition, page 13).

Visit/Type URL:

http://read.uberflip.com/i/62088/0

    2011 Interview:

     http://artgalleryofmississauga.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/eric-oberhauser-diversity/

 Summary of Sculpture Diversity

     The central artistic theme of the award-winning sculpture design Diversity is reflecting the distinctive cultural mosaic and multiculuralism of the City of Mississauga, which is one of the most culturally diverse communities in the world today.

     It was my goal to capture the spirit of diversity of people living together in Mississauga from nearly every part of the globe by creating a full-colour collage covering the body of the salmon cast.

     The sculptural design strategically placed international flag designs from each and every country around the world in the general shape of 'fish scales'.

     Thus, each 'fish scale' represents a country’s national flag design that overlaps with other 'scales' to establish a sense of naturalness, rhythm, unity, and harmony and inclusivity. After a lot of research, I included more than 220 tiny scale-shaped national flags in full colour to epitomize the prominent cultural diversity of the City of Mississauga.

     In addition, I arranged a natural stone base for the salmon using a Canadian Maple Leaf motif to represent our common foundation and shared Canadian identity among varying cultural backgrounds. 

     Stylized and metallic wave patterns were added to the sides of the salmon to signify their strength and determination of salmon while swimming upstream along the Credit River in Mississauga during the Salmon Run. The dorsal fin of the salmon sculpture is emblazoned with a stylized red Maple Leaf signifying a salmon's means of guidance and direction.

     It was definitely a meaningful and creative endeavour for me to use metallic acrylic paint on the salmon, which brightly glistens in light along with the laminated scale-shaped flag design.

    Diversity was publicly displayed and installed in Mississauga Civic Centre's Great Hall; Mississauga Celebration Square's large-scale monitor (see images); and Mississauga Central Library.

   Salmon Run Project: Diversity 



Diversity by Eric Oberhauser on Monitor at Mississauga's Celebration Square (2011).

Photo of Diversity on monitor with the artist at MISSISSAUGA CELEBRATION SQUARE (2011).

East side monitor showing Diversity by Eric Oberhauser the MISSISSAUGA CELEBRATION SQUARE (2011).