The Kiss by Gill Gatfield for SCAPE Public Art Season 2016

Gill Gatfield The Kiss 2015, absoluto nero/black granite, 2000mm high x 3000mm diameter. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The X form has many cultural and symbolic references – the female chromosome, heraldic forms, a kiss in a text message, and of course it ‘marks the spot’ in mapping. In this work by Whangaparaoa-based Gatfield, the X form was rendered monumental in gleaming black granite. Its construction enacted the union of a kiss, the weighty granite panels interlocked, separated by a sliver of air. This abstract figure enfolded viewers and landscape in its intersecting planes and reflective surfaces. The Kiss was first presented in Denmark at the centenary of women’s right to vote, asserting a partnership of equals.