Handle Me Gently - Scuplture by Olga Cironis

Giraffe like Sculpture,
detail 'Handle Me Gently'
by Olga Cironis.

On a recent visit to the Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Perth, Western Australia (as a visitor not a patient) I came across these contemporary sculptures by artist, Olga Cironis.

Collectively the animal like structures are titled 'Handle Me Gently' and are captioned "We don't bite: but we do get hot". Everything about them invites you to walk up and touch them and, specifically, I think, children to climb on them (though despite the shade cloth people are warned that the structures do get hot).


The sculpture is located in the courtyard, outside the hospital's food hall. We were there in the morning when the courtyard was virtually empty, enabling me to take these photos.

All the animal structures look positively alien but the poses and shapes suggest, perhaps, African savanna like creatures.

Animal-like forms, detail 'Handle Me Gently'
by Olga Cironis.

The sculpture very much reminds you of the basic animal shapes that can easily be created in play-doh. The forms look deceptively simple, almost child-like constructions.

Animal form,
detail 'Handle Me Gently'
by Olga Cironis.

The casual observer might dismiss these simplistic forms, that are child-sized in scale as well, but photographing them from a low viewpoint (as I have in these images), really gives all the figures a more formidable presence.

If contemporary sculpture is your thing - or you'd just like some interesting forms to photograph - then, even if you don't have anyone sick to bring to the hospital, you could always enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the food hall whilst taking in this interesting artwork.