This is hands-down the scariest sculpture they’ve ever seen.
A 16-foot sculpture of a hand with a scowling face on it was installed on the roof of a New Zealand gallery — horrifying locals who say the massive artwork is the stuff of nightmares.
Australian artist Ronnie van Hout’s work, dubbed “Quasi,” was hoisted by helicopter Monday on the rooftop of the Wellington City Gallery, where it peers over the city center, the Guardian reported.
But some residents are freaked out by the extremely large extremity and its face-like features gawking down at them.
Local Calliope Ryder told Newshub the sculpture looks like “a Lovecraftian nightmare has come to life,” referring to horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.
She added that it makes her “deeply uncomfortable and perplexed.”
On Twitter, residents were equally disturbed.
“What is this fresh horror? Please return to sender, it’s creepy,” tweeted Wellington resident @adelespencil.
The artwork has previously called Christchurch home but was loaned to Wellington for a three-year residency.
“Quasi was created in 2016 to grace the roof of Christchurch Art Gallery following the 2011 earthquake,” Wellington City Gallery said in a statement.
“No longer required, it will haunt City Gallery’s roof this season, presiding over a Civic Square largely abandoned in the wake of our own 2016 quake.”