The Calf

Category: Sculpture

The Calf, Graham Square, Glasgow (1999)

Located at the entrance to the former Meat Market and abbatoir, which is now newly converted modern apartments. This work reminds residents of their link to the animal world while subtly recalling the beast's inevitable slaughter. Borrowing from Hindi tradition, sculptor Kenny Hunter has placed a celebratory wreath around the calf's neck but this hybridisation of cultures only serves to remind us of the contrast with the Western tradition of sacrificing animals. These tensions in the work draw us into a more complex world where we must confront the fact that a sacrifice is both destruction and a vital root of many religions, which serves even further to help us recognise the pluralisation of cultures within Glasgow itself.