VIDEO: Art Gallery unveils towering sculptural art piece

A striking piece of public art, first unveiled in Toronto a decade ago has found a new place to park outside the Kelowna Art Gallery.

Gold, Silver and Lead was unveiled Wednesday drawing the attention of motorists and pedestrians as it reaches almost eight metres into the sky.

It's comprised of stacked, abstracted car bodies, specifically the 1979 Honda Civic, with more and more missing parts as it rises.

"It's nice to see it 10 years later because works change, context changes," said the creator of the piece, Jed Lind.

"You're the most car depended community in Canada, so it seems fitting."

The Civic came along at a time when marketing cars for fuel economy was relatively new, but the message of the artwork remains applicable today, according to Lind.

"I think it makes us think about what our role is, about how we live our lives, what materials we use, how many we use and living collectively, together for a long future."

After three years on display in Toronto, the piece had been tucked away in storage.

"It's great and it's exciting to be in Kelowna," added Lind who was at the Gallery for Tuesday's unveiling.

The piece was gifted to the Kelowna Art Gallery back in 2019, and restored thanks to an anonymous donor.

"I think it's an amazing welcome to the cultural district. I think it's like 'meet me at the cars'", said Kelowna Art Gallery Executive Director Nataley Nagy.

"When we look at the other public art, it's smack in the middle with two others side by side, and so it just seems to really add a lot to the building."

Another cool thing about the piece is that it lights up from within at night.

"It's so fantastic," said Nagy. "It's LED lights, so there's four spot lights at the very top, in the most disintegrated car, then there are five of the license plates that light up and three dome lights."

So what should you think about when you view this art?

The Art Gallery sums it up like this:

Gold, Silver and Lead invites viewers to reflect on their own movement, their destination, and society's connection to the urban and natural environments.