An unlikely collaboration between contemporary sculptor Anton Smit and grafitti artist MARS has touched down at Nelson Mandela Square. Urban Echoes is presented by Artyli Gallery, in which eight giant, Easter Island-inspired sculptures by Smit are given the full MARS treatment.

Old meets new in this project. Smit's three-metre sculptures take their cue from the monumental statues known as moai, created between the 13th–16th centuries by the inhabitants of Easter Island, a remote volcanic island in Chilean territory. Smit's been making work in this vein for more than 20 years. 

"The idea was to take Smit's sculptures and give them an urban Joburg makeover," MARS tells us. "I did all the different forms of graffiti and street art on them, with some portraits in my own style." Although not based on anyone in particular, MARS' portraits call to mind quintessential Joburg characters. "I wanted them to resemble people you may know: quite fashionable, youthful and relatable, like people you'd see in Joburg's urban landscape." 

See the Urban Echoes installation in Nelson Mandela Square alongside other large-scale sculptures by Smit across Nelson Mandela Square, and find out more here about what else is happening at Nelson Mandela Square over the festive season.