Farewell Flower Chandelier

Flower Chandelier 2011 by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa. Photo: Jennifer French

Having enthralled visitors young and old, Choi Jeong Hwa's spectacular Flower Chandelier was deinstalled from the Gallery’s atrium on Monday. The eye-popping work, which was suspended from the ceiling for over two years, features illuminated blooms which periodically open and close. A colleague calculated that the work ‘bloomed’ approximately 4.5 million times!

Flower Chandelier was originally planned as a one-year commission in celebration of the Gallery’s reopening in September 2011, but was extended another 14 months due to the public’s (and staff’s!) love for the work. Over a million visitors have seen the work since then and it has been one of the most photographed works in the Gallery during this time.

Objects Conservator Annette McKone and Gallery Technician Dave Balcom deinstalling Flower Chandelier. Photo: John McIver

Flower Chandelier has come down for some much-needed maintenance and a well-deserved rest. Meanwhile, planning is under way for a new installation in the atrium space, to be on show from next year.

Image credit:
Choi Jeong Hwa
Flower Chandelier 2011
fabric, fibre reinforced plastic, metal, motors, LED
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, commissioned 2011
generously supported by Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust