A sculpture by the late Paul Dibble has been installed on the shores of Lake Wānaka, a donation from a local family in memory of their mother.

Titled View Over the Interior, the piece is positioned to forever look over the lake and on to Mount Gold, which was their mother’s favourite mountain, the family said.

The installation marks Dibble’s second piece in the district’s public collection, after Fern, which stands at the entrance to Queenstown Gardens.

The Lakes District Arts Trust (LDAT) facilitated the installation of View Over the Interior, led by members Linda Joll and Chris Hadfield.

Chris said he was first approached by a local philanthropist about installing the sculpture on the lakefront in late 2023. This was shortly before Dibble died at the age of 80.

Over his career Dibble created a significant body of sculptural works for public and private contexts and he was particularly well-known for his large-scale, cast bronze sculptures.

Wānaka was fortunate to now have a Dibble sculpture available to enjoy, Linda said.

Sculptures of this kind “help to enrich our communities”, she told the Wānaka App.

Representatives from Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Lakes District Arts Trust gathered last week to celebrate the sculpture’s installation.

Last week Queenstown Lakes District Council representatives and LDAT members gathered to celebrate the installation of View Over the Interior.

LDAT - which has been installing artworks throughout the district for 25 years - thanked the family for the generous donation. 

Other nearby installations facilitated by LDAT include Llew Summers’ Hand that Nurtures, located further along the Lake Wānaka shoreline near the Dinosaur Playground, and Waterbirds by Mark Hill, on an island in Bullock Creek.

View Over the Interior is located to the east of the Stoney Creek Bridge, just off Te Ara Wānaka.

More information about LDAT can be found here.

The trust welcomes inquiries from those interested in donating or supporting public art projects.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App