Whether you think it's creative or not, Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck proves that a common object such as a child's bath-time friend can inspire the birth of a public art work, winning popularity and arousing commercial interest.

 

The craze for the giant bird has spread from Hong Kong to Beijing, and is further fueled by massive copies. When Hofman's original work debuted in Beijing's Garden Expo Park, another yellow rubber duck, dressed in a green waistcoat and followed by seven green eggs in a line, was unveiled on the lake at Beijing's Yuyuantan Park.

 

Beyond the interest in the giant duck, one can see a growing appetite for public art, which is backed by a growing number of urbanities on the mainland. 

 

Recent years have witnessed an eruption of landmarks of city culture, mostly in the form of gigantic sculptures. Yet few of them are pleasant to look at, or at the least bring the simple joy the yellow bird has conveyed to its viewers. 

The rapid pace of urbanization in China has created extensive space for the evolution of public art. In return, public art has arisen to promote cities' cultural diversity. It breathes the air of transformation into traditional cultures, and adds new elements to the urban art landscape.

 

Meanwhile, public art has been entrusted with major social responsibilities. For instance, it helps build a city's image, and it reflects a city's soft power. And playing such an important role, it has inevitably aroused skepticism when it fails to satisfy city dwellers.

 

"It used to be a core function of public art to educate and worship heroes, which therefore produced a great deal of monuments and memorial sculptures," said Yin Shuangxi, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. 

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