Serian, Sarawak.
Unless you were from Sarawak or Sabah, you probably may not have known about Serian ... until recently, that is.
The town in the state’s southern region was put in the spotlight recently thanks to a social media post of a funny-looking sculpture that went viral. The sculpture in question is a buffalo that seemed to look ... flabbergasted, with its wide eyes and open mouth.
The thing is, though, this sculpture has been in Serian for decades, and locals think nothing of it today. However, the sculpture was recently repainted, and some visitors finally noticed how funny it looked.
After a picture of the buffalo was posted on a social media platform, it was quickly featured in numerous memes, and eventually started trending online.
Memes aside, though, the incident did put Serian on the map, with many people online posing an interest in visiting the town.
The sculpture of the buffalo was meant to represent the strong and hardworking people of Serian. But it isn’t the town’s mascot or anything like that, says Alexander Goh Khee Hong, 28, whose father is from Serian. Goh himself spent some time in the town as a kid, but his family moved to Peninsular Malaysia many years ago.
“The buffalo statue has been at the park for at least four decades, since before my dad left for university in the 1980s,” he said.
He shared that Serian has another famous sculpture – that of a durian – which has more significance to the town than the buffalo. “Serian is famous for its durian so the statue is more meaningful to locals,” he said.
Goh, who’s based in Kuala Lumpur, said that growing up, he never gave the sculpture a second thought but now that it has become somewhat famous, he finds the expression pretty funny too. He sees the buffalo every time he goes back to Serian to visit his grandparents.
“I’m happy to see it now. It has definitely put my hometown on the map! Unless you were Sarawakian, Serian is unheard of,” he said.
“But, I don’t think it helps all that much in boosting tourism, although visitors who visit Serian do take the time to check out the statue now,” said Goh.
Here are a handful of the quirky statues you can find – and visit – around the world.
Planet
Also known as “the floating baby”, Planet is a sculpture that “floats” in Singapore’s famous Gardens By The Bay. It was installed in 2013 by British sculptor Max Quinn.
The 10m statue appears to be floating above the ground, making one think that the baby is “sleeping”.
Before it was set in Singapore as a permanent statue, the giant sculpture first exhibited at a contemporary sculpture show in England in 2008. And in 2012, it was put on display at one of Quinn’s exhibitions in Monaco.
Traffic Light Tree
Located on the Trafalgar Way roundabout in London, England, the Traffic Light Tree is a sculpture created in 1998 in remembrance of a tree that died due to pollution.
Don’t be confused by this unique creation as it has 75 sets of traffic lights, with the tree’s “branches” spread out in every direction possible. But although the lights do work, they are not actually real traffic lights.
Needless to say, some road users, especially motorcyclists, have been confused by this sculpture before.
However, this artwork eventually became a favourite among locals, as proven by a 2005 survey on the “best and worst roundabouts” in Britain.
Ballerina Clown
Another quirky statue is situated in Venice, Los Angeles, California. The Ballerina Clown, or the “Clownerina”, as it is fondly called among locals, is a large public art that was put up in 1989.
The whimsical 10m clown was initially exhibited in an art museum in 1988, before it was moved to its current location. The clown, which is made up like a ballerina in a tutu, stands en pointe (standing on one’s toes) on a wooden crate.
Yellow Pumpkin
The Yellow Pumpkin is literally a sculpture of a yellow pumpkin with black spots. It is a popular monument in Naoshima Island in Japan. The island was a deserted fishing village that became a home for many interesting works of art in 1987.
The bulbous fruit statue was built in 1994, and reflects famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s love for pumpkins. The brightly-coloured pumpkin motif is also featured in a few of Kusama’s other works.
Pumpkins are a symbol of Kusama’s childhood and life because of their “humorous form and warm feeling”, as she described in an interview.
Dubbed the “Island Of Art”, Naoshima has several museums and many art installations located around the island, as well as beautiful architectural works of art.
Hand Of The Desert
Anyone driving through the Atacama desert in Chile will likely see what seems like a gigantic outstretched hand, in the middle of desolate land. This is the Hand Of The Desert.
In the far distance on the dry strip of land, a concrete (left) hand that was sculpted in the early 1990s stands erect.
About 10 years ago, the artist, Mario Irarrazabal, designed a similar (right) hand in Uruguay. The hand, La Mano De Punta Del Este, can be seen rising from the sand, with four fingers and a thumb visible, while the palm is completely embedded.
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