Snowman 1987/2017-19

Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s Snowman is designed to never melt. In this industrial freezer, he exists as if on life support, or waiting for the next ice age. Far from his European origins, he is comically out of place in subtropical Brisbane. In danger of crowding out this constrained home, his smile and eyes must be retraced each day.

This is a sculpture, yet these small acts of support bind the snowman to us. We are asked to care for him, be aware of him and ensure that he can ‘see’. As a subtly different path is traced everyday on the snowman’s face, his expression fluctuates between frightened, diabolical and disconcertingly sunny.

Snowman reflects our reliance upon industry and technology, as well as our capacity to solve difficult challenges. Just like Snowman, we rely on electrical power. If we can buy flowers and fruit out of season and perhaps use air-conditioning all year round, why not visit a snowman in summer?