Another work of art in Sydney You Should Know, Number 72:

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Another work of art in Sydney you should know, number 72.

[00:00:05]Bird Totem by Adrian Mauriks was commissioned by the AMP Society for the World Trade Center and National Bank Building Plaza. Installed in 1988, it was said to be the largest and heaviest bronze sculpture in Australia at the time. The work features two tall upright shapes which are capped by sweeping outstretched outlines. The entire piece creates an impression of massive weight with a surprising lightness provided by the vertical movement upwards through the center of the work, creating a sense of dynamics to the large forms. The silhouette of the whole block and of the negative space within contrast each other. The artist said that because the associated buildings are sophisticated 20th century designs, he wanted to balance that with the raw primitive qualities of the totemic form which can stir something in the human unconscious.

[00:00:55]Check it out.