The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra has unveiled its latest acquisition. Lindy lee's 13 tonne 14-million-dollar sculpture "ouroboros" is the most expensive artwork ever commissioned by the gallery.
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00:00It's taken four years and more than 60,000 hours of work by 200 people to bring artist
00:08Lindy Lee's masterpiece to life.
00:10Work on Ouroboros started in Queensland before it took a truck journey which required police
00:15escorts and travel under the cover of darkness across three states.
00:19Its final resting place is a pond surrounded by a native garden in the forecourt of the
00:23National Gallery of Australia.
00:25Ouroboros is based on the story of the snake eating its own tail, described by Lee herself
00:30as an ancient symbol of renewal and belonging.
00:34Endless beginnings and ends and I think for me this work is about cosmos.
00:40From inside and out, the mirrored piece is striking for its many holes which let light
00:44in during the day and night.
00:46With a price tag of $14 million, the piece is the most expensive ever commissioned by
00:51the National Gallery of Australia.
00:53The gallery hopes it will become an icon in its own right.
00:56Art and cultural experiences are things that people across Australia are looking for so
01:02we're super excited.
01:03Built to last 500 years, Ouroboros is expected to draw many future generations of visitors
01:08to the nation's capital and it's now open to the public 24 hours a day.