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Shwarzenegger Plaza, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 2019[open in full screen]  

 
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This plaza is actually unnamed, this name was given by me, considering that statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger is located here. But what does he has to do with Columbus to deserve such an honour? Well, in 1970 on one of his "Mr. Universe" bodybuilding performances, he was declared 'best in the show" in Columbus. Isn't that enough?

I was in Columbus on bussines trip, having just 3 hours for stroll, of course in search for urban squares. Walking south along North High Street first space to attracted my attention was this one. Quite puzzling.


  Plaza is just at one of the entrances to the Greater Columbus Convention Centre, designed by Peter Eisenman, constructed in 1993, and expanded in 1999 and again in 2016. Centre is located at the corner of North High Street and Spruce Street, cleverly built over the numerous highways underneath.

Columbus makes art and art makes Columbus. That is one of the most visible slogans all over downtown Columbus and that is specially true here, inside and outside of this centre.

 

  Most prominent among hundreds of art pieces are of course, Arnold Statue – an exact copy of a statue at the Schwarzenegger Museum in Austria, Jun Kaneko's "Untitled Dango, and “As We Are” by Columbus artist Matthew Mohr. An exceptional example of how art can be used to reflect local population, dramatic 14-foot, 3-D universal human head "like nothing else in the world". Last photo/animation bellow.

Plaza is quite unatractive, probably not deserving space in this collection, if not for hosting a "statue" that was not even planned for this space, for years it was standing in frot of now demolished sport venue, transfered here recently.

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Last time updated on January 4, 2021