Fiberglass “Phuket Dog’ home for good

PATONG: A sculpture of an over-sized dog by a famous Japanese artist has returned, this time permanently, to Patong Beach. The sculpture, known as Phuket Dog, is 3½ meters tall and was originally created for an art exhibition held on the beach last year in commemoration of the tsunami.

The artist who made the fiberglass dog, Yoshitomo Nara, explained the concept guiding his creation, saying, “The dog is for everyone. It has no name so please call it whatever you wish. It will live in our hearts forever.”

A ceremony was held on May 9 to welcome home the canine sculpture, which has been on display in Bangkok. At the ceremony the Director General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Prof Apinan Poshyananda, said “We chose a park at Patong Beach to be the permanent site for the sculpture because it has been shown here before and we feel that it fits in well with the beach’s beautiful surroundings. People here already feel close to the dog.

“Yoshitomo Nara devoted himself to building the sculpture. Many people have been interested in it and it was on display at Silpakorn University and Central Pattana, Bangkok. People have asked to buy it, but [Yoshitomo] has always said no, and that he wants it to stay in Phuket,” Prof Apinan added.

Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura, who was also present at the ceremony, said that he was very pleased that a famous artist had given a special gift to Phuket, and he hoped it would both attract tourists and add to the character of the beach.