If the spirit of fun and adventure seem particularly high in Portland, it’s not something that’s gone unnoticed to all the citizens of the city. Particularly not the artists, who always seem to have an extra eye into the other dimensions. In cities that have a rather mundane character, artists have a way of looking into the hearts of the people to reveal an active imagination. But in cities like this one, where the top Portland hotels are booked based on excitement with the getaway, artists have an extra challenge.
It’s not so easy to find the spirit of playfulness in a city that seems to be ruled by it, and one of the best strategies for an artist is to simply represent it. That’s what Valerie Otani seems to be up to with her Folly Bollards. These are public art sculptures that serve as post caps throughout the city. They’re each based on a trickster figure from different cultural traditions around the world. Magwi Koyemsi from the Hopi, Anansi from West Africa, and Italy’s Harlequin are all found in Portland. It’s kind of an ingenious statement. It not only reflects the city’s multicultural population, but also gives a sacred space to the great clown figures that run through all populations through time.
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