--- description: A massive hand sculpture Quasi arrived on a gallery rooftop in Wellington, New Zealand people have plenty of thoughts about the look of it. title: A Giant Hand Has Appeared Atop a Building in New Zealand, and the Internet Is Shaking image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Giant Hand Has Appeared Atop a Building in New Zealand, and the Internet Is Shaking by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:17 AM CUTPublished: Aug 19, 2019 2:31 PM CUT by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:17 AM CUTPublished: Aug 19, 2019 2:31 PM CUT Few things can [rile up the Internet](https://time.com/5632695/mystery-innout-burger/ "undefined") like [wacky artwork](https://time.com/5471145/rome-christmas-tree-netflix-memes/ "undefined"), and the latest example of a photo turning social media users’ world upside down comes from Down Under, with the ominous appearance a massive hand sculpture on the roof of a Wellington, New Zealand art gallery. Don’t talk to this hand, because the face is listening. With a very unimpressed facial expression and a hand on hip-esque (thumb on palm?) pose, this newly-arrived installation calls the _Addams Family_ character Thing T. Thing to mind, and has people online feeling all of the things. But mostly fear. In just hours, the piece has been called an “overlord” and the stuff of nightmares. The sculpture is called “[Quasi](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/19/terrifying-hand-sculpture-flies-in-to-give-wellington-nightmares "undefined")” (yes, that’s a Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel [_The Hunchback of Notre Dame_](https://time.com/4876087/notre-dame-cathedral-is-crumbling/ "undefined") reference!) and it’s the handiwork of Melbourne-based artist Ronnie van Hout, who sculpted the 400kg work of art with polystyrene and resin. It was installed by helicopter in City Gallery in Wellington on Monday. City officials intend for it to live out its rooftop residency for “up to three years” — or for as long as it likes, really, because who wants to tell the hand what to do!? Though the artist did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment, [City Gallery’s website](https://citygallery.org.nz/exhibitions/quasi/ "undefined") describes the piece thusly: --- > “” --- Indeed. The hand previously “lived” in Christchurch, where it struck such a nerve that one [art critic](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/arts/85635912/ten-reasons-why-the-art-gallerys-quasi-must-go "undefined") petitioned for its removal from the city. Some really have to give this hand a hand. Others are putting the shake in handshake, in that they’re _shook._ “When you are not watching, he walks,” [one user](https://twitter.com/gigahorsedeluxe/status/1163249237485748224 "undefined") wrote. Noted. See a sampling of reactions to Quasi below. > [](https://twitter.com/TimBarnes451/status/1163500436671934464) > [](https://twitter.com/henrycooke/status/1163290814853726208) > [](https://twitter.com/dancrawfo/status/1163260600681545729) > [](https://twitter.com/Melzyrose90/status/1163308795918815232) > [](https://twitter.com/knoxdani/status/1163312210967433216) > [](https://twitter.com/Naly%5FD/status/1163302620443758592) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5655324/quasi-hand-sculpture-reactions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5655324/quasi-hand-sculpture-reactions/"},"headline":"A Giant Hand Has Appeared Atop a Building in New Zealand, and the Internet Is Shaking","datePublished":"2019-08-19T14:31:18.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-24T11:17:09.000Z","description":"A massive hand sculpture Quasi arrived on a gallery rooftop in Wellington, New Zealand people have plenty of thoughts about the look of it.","url":"https://time.com/5655324/quasi-hand-sculpture-reactions/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5655324/quasi-hand-sculpture-reactions/","name":"A Giant Hand Has Appeared Atop a Building in New Zealand, and the Internet Is Shaking"}}]}] ```